Thoughts on Peter

I have finished reading the Gospel of John and as I finished the final chapter my thoughts were drawn to the Apostle Peter. Of all the men who followed Jesus in his earthly ministry I tend to identify with him very much because he gives me hope that it is quite possible to be a man of many weaknesses and be fervently in love with the Lord at the same time! :-) Indeed, Peter strikes me as a man of violent passions, impetuous and very much led by his emotions. While I don't claim to possess the virtues which were his, I often feel like I am a man like Peter.

It is because of this that I took a moment to think on the last passage of John where we read the following: "So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. (John 21:15-17)

What struck me about this passage is how it relates to an earlier passage. You see, we learn in John 18:15-18 and 18:25-27 that Peter three times denies that he is a follower of Jesus Christ because of his fear of the Jewish authorities. Indeed, so afraid is he that we are told in Matthew 26:74 that he even "began to curse and swear, saying 'I do not know the Man!'" Of course, Jesus had already predicted this very thing and told Peter it would happen (see John 13:38), which is why as soon as Peter denies Jesus the third time he is overcome with sorrow upon hearing the rooster crow...the Scripture telling us he "wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75).

Returning to the passage quoted above, it is so beautiful to see that, at least from what I perceive, Jesus is manifesting grace to Peter here. Did Peter deny his Lord three times? Well then three times shall he confess his love for Jesus! And, ah Peter...he is so given over to his emotions and so focused on himself that he appears to miss this and instead of weeping with joy he is grieved by the Lord questioning his love, as if Jesus had no call to do so. And yet, we know don't we? We know that the book of John is written for our edification (see John 20:30-31), and so we can see clearly what Peter missed. Jesus manifested grace to Peter here, picking him up spiritually if you will, and setting him on the right path. A path which Peter, apparently, walked well, for this same Peter who was afraid of the Jewish authorities will later declare before the Sanhedrin that Jesus is Lord (see Acts 4:8-12)! And when ordered to shut up about Jesus, how does this man react? He boldly refuses to cease preaching Christ because he "ought to obey God rather than man." (Acts 5:29).

Wow. Peter the one whom the Lord ordered to feed His sheep, the one whom the Lord protected from the Devil. The one to whom much grace was shown...may God grant that I be more like him in standing firm for His truth, because I fear I am too much like the earlier Peter...

God bless

"The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer" by Arthur W. Pink

Those of you who know me are well aware that Arthur Pink is one of my theological heroes, so it should come as no surprise to you that I loved this book! :-) In fact, I finished this book quite some time ago but I have been putting off the writing of it until now.

What can one really say about Pink though? He was clearly a man gifted by God and used by Him for His glory. So it is that as with every other book I've ever read of his, this book is filled from beginning to end with the keen insight for which Pink is known and loved.

As implied by the title, this particular book is divided into two segments (The Beatitudes and The Lord's Prayer). In the first part, Pink presents the Beatitudes as a picture of the process of salvation and sanctification, taking each of them and demonstrating the theme as shown in the following examples:

"To be poor in spirit is to realize that I have nothing, and can do nothing, and have need of all things. Poverty of spirit is evident in a person when he is brought into the dust before God to acknowledge his utter helplessness. It is the first experiential evidence of a Divine work of grace within the soul." pg. 16

"The mourning that is blessed is the result of a realization of God's holiness and goodness that issues in a sense of the depravity of our natures and the enormous guilt of our conduct. The mourning for which Christ promises Divine comfort is a sorrowing over our sins with a godly sorrow." pg. 18

"While humility of soul in bowing to God's way of salvation is the primary application of the third Beatitude, it must not be limited to that. Meekness...is that quality of spirit that is found in one who has been schooled to mildness by discipline and suffering and brought into sweet resignation to the will of God." pg. 27

"Hungering and thirsting expresses vehement desire , of which the soul is acutely conscious...Like the previous ones, this fourth Beatitude describes a twofold experience. It obviously refers to the initial hungering and thirsting that occurs before a sinner turns to Christ by faith. But it also refers to the continual longing that is perpetuated in the heart of every saved sinner until his dying day." pg. 33-34

As already stated, these three quotes are samples of the spiritual depth which Pink brings to his subject matter. He does the same with the second section, as you will see in the following passages:

"'Hallowed be Thy name' is the first of the petitions of Christ's pattern prayer...This petition necessarily comes first, for the glorifying of God's great name is the ultimate end of all things. All other requests must be subordinate to this one and be in pursuance of it." pg. 83

"The Father's Kingdom is, first and more generally, His universal rule, His absolute dominion over all creatures and things." pg. 92

"'Thy will be done.' this clause presents a difficulty to a few of our readers, who may ask, 'Is not God's will always done?' In one respect it is, but in another respect it is not. Scripture presents the will of God from two distinct viewpoints: His secret will and His revealed will, or His decretive and His preceptive will." pg. 100

I will leave that last quote unfinished so that my reader will have all the more reason for buying or borrowing this book! Whichever you do, do it quickly because there is a lot to be learned from the teachings of this great man of God.

Isaiah 1:7-9

Read Isaiah 1:7-9

We have seen how Israel has been compared to disobedient and evil children; we have seen how they have been compared to an illness struck person. Now we see in these verses the reality…

Is this passage a prophecy of future occurrences? Or is it referring to past and current troubles? Albert Barnes believes it refers to the times of trouble before Uzziah but John Gill maintains that it is prophetically speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

Whichever it may be (and I tend to agree with Barnes on this one), the main point is that we move away from the examples and turn here to the reality. Whereas the Lord has referred to a body infected with wounds and bruises, here he clearly identifies Judah. “Your” country and “your” cities are the object of God’s wrath…of His judgment.

Think about it: with what joy and exultation must Israel have entered the land of Promise so many years before. Oh what a joy to walk with the Lord and see with one’s own eyes the mighty works of God on behalf of the nation. But as we are told in Judges 2:10, “another generation arose after…who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

Contrast the wonder with which the Israelites entered Canaan, secure in the knowledge that the Lord walked with them; contrast that with the terrible words we read here in verse 7. What has caused this drastic change? Disobedience.

Sometimes we too encounter times of chastisement from the Lord. It would be well for us to think about our own walk before we dare to ask God why He allows certain things to come into our lives. Do we walk in obedience? I have heard people compare their own afflictions to those of Job (I have done so myself), yet in doing so, can we truly claim to be the spiritual equals to a man like Job? A man whom God specifically pointed out to Satan as an upright man? I understand that complete obedience to God is a huge challenge because we still dwell in the body of death, but let us strive to live obediently as much as possible…not to avoid punishment but because we love our God. And then, when we experience tribulation, we can boldly proclaim that we suffer evil and praise God for it. The alternative is to suffer chastisement for wounding the heart of our precious Savior through our sin.

In verse 8 we read of the daughter of Zion’s predicament…meaning the city of Jerusalem (see John Calvin’s commentary on this, also John Gill.)

Here the city is compared to the lonely place where the watchmen stood, whether in the vineyard or in the fields. The hut, or cottage, is the place where the workmen store their tools. It is where shelter from the elements is taken. It is a place of refuge but also a place of loneliness. The city of Jerusalem, then, is likened to this poor place.

The capitol of the chosen nation, likened to the meanest of buildings!

John Calvin wrote the following: “This may be explained in two ways; either that the whole country will be wasted, with the solitary exception of the city, which shall be left standing like a cottage, or that the city itself will be destroyed. The former interpretation is adopted by the Jews, and they understand this passage to relate to the siege of Sennacherib; but I think that it has a wider signification, and embraces other calamities which followed afterwards. This may indeed refer to the neighboring country, from the misery and devastation of which it was impossible but that the city should sustain much damage; but I consider the Prophet’s meaning to be, that the evils of which he speaks shall reach even to the city itself, until, broken and ruined, it shall wear the aspect of a mean cottage”

Again, whether this speaks of past or future calamities (or both!), one of the things we must always bear in mind is that God has made promises and He will keep them. The Jews are a chosen people, and in the new covenant, the elect of all the nations are His royal priesthood. So when times are tough and we encounter troubles, even those of our own doing, we need to remember that God is the covenant keeper of our relationship (see Genesis 15). And so, we now read some beautiful words in the midst of this terrible passage:

“Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

Wow. Praise God for His mercy and grace! (See Lamentations 3:22)

This verse touches on His sovereignty and His special love for the elect of Judah. We all know what became of those cities mentioned, we all know of the disgusting practices of its inhabitants…yet were it not for the sake of His remnant, Judah would suffer the same fate!

Let us think about ourselves for a moment. Do you not realize that God’s judgment upon this sinful world we live in today is also deferred for the sake of His elect? Just as Paul was told not to be afraid because God had His people in the city (Acts 18:9-11), so we are not to fear witnessing for His sake in our time. And witness is something we must do, because we love the Lord and want to see the lost sheep brought into the fold.

Above all, however, we should remember the long-suffering of the Lord when we wonder why He allows evil to endure. People act as if evil is some force of its own that stands in opposition to God, but this is not the case. Evil is sin and disobedience practiced by every man, woman and child on the planet! So why does God allow evil? Because of the great love He has for His elect. Until they are all gathered up, for their sake He will withhold His judgment. Let us, then, take this time to declare His goodness and His mercy to the entire world, that those who have ears to hear will listen and respond.

Judges 4

About three weeks ago I substituted for the teen Sunday school class at church and the following is the lesson I presented. I'd planned to post it the same day but I completely forgot! Better late than never right? Here you go:

Read Judges 4:1-3

First I want to begin by pointing out that terrible verse we see over and over in Judges, “the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

I’m sure by now you have picked up that this is a continuation of a theme we find throughout this book…Israel sins, God chastises, Israel cries out, God delivers. And yet, I would say to this that the major theme is not necessarily about the sinfulness of Israel but about the mercy, the love, and trustworthiness of God!

You will note, I am sure, how after God delivers Israel through a judge, there is a period of rest…after which Israel forgets what God has done for them and reverts back to evil behavior.

Here in the first verse we see a reference to the death of Ehud as the catalyst for Israel’s sin…in other words, without him around to remind them of their obligations, they quickly forgot God. As for why it is Ehud that is mentioned rather than Shamgar (who was judge after Ehud), there are two opinions on this matter. The first is that during the judgeship of Shamgar Ehud was still alive and that it was not until his death that the people turned away from God once again. The other opinion is that Ehud was already dead during the judgeship of Shamgar but that after Shamgar Israel was delivered but did not turn away from their sin and that this is why in chapter 4 the verse begins by identifying at what point their sin began. Both of these views are good, and the Bible does not tell us any details so what is important is that at one point following the death of Ehud, Israel forgot her God.

So we have in verse 1 a reminder that we must never allow ourselves to grow slack in our devotion to God…for out of our slackness comes sin.

Ask: How does slackness lead to sin? (discuss)

Look now at verse 2: We first came across Hamor in Joshua 11, where we witnessed its destruction, so at some point it has apparently been rebuilt and a new king sits at its throne. And so we hear in verse 3 the familiar cry from the lips of Israel! Again and again they have sinned…but again and again they have cried out to God for deliverance. And once again, God says NO, right? NO!! He delivers them! Remember that the pivotal teaching throughout this book is that God is the covenant keeper! He is the only One that we can trust completely!

Ask) How can we take this thought and use it as an encouragement for our own times and in our own lives?

When we sin, when we transgress the law of God, if we are remorseful the Lord forgives us…we too are His special people and we can count on His mercy…but His people are not those who sin BECAUSE they think they know that they will receive His forgiveness! Do not think for a minute that we can plan to sin with the comfort that we will receive forgiveness. Show me the professed Believer who lives this way and I will show you a man in need of salvation!

Before we move on, notice why the people are so afraid (in verse 3). Those iron chariots!! Think about it…God has shown Israel over and over again, throughout the generations, that He is El Shaddai, God Almighty! And still they fear these man-made instruments of war! Let me suggest to you that the reason they fear these things is because they forgot to fear God more!

Read Matthew 10:28

Israel feared men because they did not fear God! Likewise, I would confess to you that the times when I have feared situations, or people, it has been because I have forgotten how awesome and fearful God is! That He is so awesome He can get me through these problems…that He is so fearful that Satan is on His leash and is NOT God’s equal not His true rival! Little brothers and sisters, what Jesus tells us in Matthew and what Israel did not keep in mind is that the God we serve is the CREATOR of EVERYTHING! Therefore, when we trust in Him we need NOT fear that which He can control! When we fail to trust in God we are suggesting first that He is unable to keep His word to us, and secondly we dare to equate any created thing with the power of the One from whom everything flows! The self existing, Omniscient, Omnipotent God of the Bible! The knowledge that this is the God whom we serve should make us bold and secure!

Are there any questions or comments?

Read Judges 4:4-9

Who was Deborah?

The Word tells us that she was intimately acquainted with God, for she was a prophetess. As such, she was one to whom the Lord gave visions, which we see very clearly in verses 6-7. She was a judge during a difficult time, for she was an acknowledged judge during the time that Israel was occupied. She was one who loved the Lord and was devoted to Israel, for her concern is that Barak go about the business for which God had appointed him.

Note therefore, that she passes onto Barak the instructions which the Lord had given to her. Note also Barak’s response…

Ask) What do you think of Barak’s response? (Discuss)

There are two schools of thought regarding his reply:

1. One holds that this shows Barak’s lack of faith…that he was unwilling to proceed without the prophetess of God to accompany him. In other words, that he was weak.

2. The other holds that this shows the immense respect with which Barak and all of Israel held Deborah. The thinking goes that Barak wanted Deborah to accompany him so that Israel would see that he was indeed carrying out the commands of God and that they would more readily follow him against the huge army awaiting them! This is supported to some extent by Hebrews 11:30-34, which offers no condemnation of Barak…on the contrary, his faith is commended!

Note verse 9. While Barak would head the army…God would receive the glory for He would hand over the true victory to a woman!

Ask) What can we learn from this?

First and foremost, that the Lord uses whom He wishes to use! (discuss Genesis and the chosen line)

Application: Men should be willing and eager to be about the business of the Lord…for the Lord will not be held back by our inaction!

Read Judges 4:10-16

The call to Israel is made, or at least to two of the tribes…and the people respond. Through verse 11 we see that Israel is being observed…what is happening is that Barak is preparing his army to free Israel from the oppression of King Jabin…and of course general Sisera notices and responds by calling out the occupying army…likely he plans to quickly put down this rebellion…but little does he know that he faces not an army of men but the power and judgment of God!

Note Deborah’s cry in verse 14. She does not encourage Barak by telling him that he has raised up a powerful army and surely they will defeat Sisera…on the contrary…upon what basis is she confident of the victory? Her confidence rests upon the One whom she serves! The confidence that God’s words to her would come true for no other reason than that it is He who has spoken them! Likewise, our trust in His word rests solely on the character of He who gave it to us, is it not?

Now note verse 15...who routes Sisera? God Himself! Iron chariots, no matter how numerous, cannot stand against the Lord! Pity the man who arms himself against God! Think of those fools who even today make war on God, denying His very existence! Will they win? No! The day that God can be defeated will NEVER come!

Note just how total is the defeat! The army of Sisera is destroyed completely! Verse 16 tells us that not one man survives! These men either died by the sword or drowned (remember from verse 13 that the battle takes place near a river…and Judges 5:21 testifies to the fact that many were swept away by the river) Their iron chariots did them no good! Likewise, let us remember that the enemies of God today can do us no harm other than that which the Lord permits…therefore let us be confident in our walk with God. So yes, it is possible, even likely, that God’s people may be killed and His houses of worship destroyed…but His people CANNOT be defeated because they are not fighting the battle…He is!!

Points to consider:

· Israel feared the terrible iron chariots of the enemy because their reverent fear of God was missing! As Matthew 10:28 tells us, we need fear ONLY the One that can destroy the soul as well as the body…and that Someone is God and nobody else!

· We see from verses 10-16 that it was God and nobody else…not Barak…not the armies of Israel…it was God alone that defeated Sisera!

Read Judges 4:17-24

In this passage we see how God brings down Sisera the mighty warrior. As He had spoken through Deborah, the mighty general dies at the hand of a woman…dies not gloriously in battle but as he slept and hid from those whom he now feared.

Verses 23 and 24 tell us again, in case we choose to forget, that God brought about this victory…that He strengthens the arms of Israel to the point that after this battle Israel goes on to destroy a mighty kingdom that had oppressed them…a kingdom that they were powerless against until God delivered them!

Application: As we face our daily challenges and ponder the many hardships we may face…we must always remember that God is the Master…and we His servants should eagerly seek to please Him rather than complain about what our circumstances are!

Are there any questions or comments? If not, close with prayer

"Rules for my Unborn Son" by Walker Lamond

I received this book and on the same day I finished reading it...it was THAT good! Now, this is not your typical book that you read from cover to cover (though that is exactly what I did!). As you might imagine, it is written in the form of snippets of advice by Mr. Lamond to his son. As he says in his introduction, many of these are sayings he picked up from his own father, though he has taken the liberty of modernizing them to include internet etiquette ("Never post a picture online you wouldn't feel comfortable showing your mother, your boss, and the dean of administration" from page 100). Yes, many of these are common sense...but isn't that exactly what we need to hear over and over?

In his introduction, Lamond says that boys need rules and that "somewhere along the way, rules got a bad name...[r]ules were seen as antiquated obstacles...and the game of life suddenly got a bit sloppier, more uncertain, and even a bit less fun." Which, in my humble opinion, is quite profound!

On the day I received the book, before I even read the introduction, I opened it up to the first little entry and read the following: "When in doubt, wear a tie." I knew from that moment this would be my kind of book...and it was! This is the kind of book every male should read. Not that every entry is necessarily true for everyone, but the simple idea that rules are there for a reason is something the men of our society need to understand. If only we could return to a time when men were men not because they cussed or had sex with lots of women, but because they took responsibility for their own actions and understood that sometimes we have to do what is right...even when we'd rather just do what is easy.

Do I recommend this book? Without any hesitation! This is a keeper and belongs on the bookshelves of every home!