HOME with GOD

So what is the Servant’s mission?...to heal everybody?      

Is it to uphold the might of the Roman Empire?                 

No, it’s to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. (1:15&38)

Meanwhile back in Capernaum...                                                                                                  
You can read Mark 2 for yourself, but notice there are 3 houses mentioned:                                  

• Jesus’ own home, maybe lodging with Simon and Andrew
• A tax collector’s home - Jesus accepts the hospitality of Matthew
• The House of God where David once ate showbread 

Also notice how this Servant has been identified so far: the Messiah, the Son of God, the Holy One of God, and now....the Son of Man with power on Earth, and even Lord of the Sabbath.  No Roman Caesar could ace that!

So what’s happening here?...                    

Four guys lift a paralysed man onto a roof, dig thru and then lower him... into whose home?                                              

Here Mark resorts to using the word ‘laleo’:  Jesus is home, simply TALKING to His visitors.                             

They glorify God without realizing they are actually in God’s house!                                                                                    

In search of more space, He then leads them down to the sea-side and teaches them there.                                                 

The Lord of Sabbath has work to do, making time for people: forgiving, healing, talking with, teaching, eating and drinking....yes, the Sabbath is made for Man.

 “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”

This is something totally new – no need to stay paralysed by sin...

Wow!!

The HANDS-ON MESSIAH

We open Mark’s gospel where the Roman Empire is watching out for this long-promised Jewish Messiah to appear - in fact, God has promised to come Himself!   

Let’s watch closely too...

A rough hobo called John claims he’s a messenger but not even worthy to do a slave’s job of undoing the sandals of the Messiah who is coming... but when He finally arrives, has to dunk Him in the river!                                                                                                             

Don’t miss the fast pace of events – Mark will use ‘euthos’ some 36 times for immediate results, beginning with... heaven cannot resist suddenly splitting open (schizo) to endorse this Man publicly:

                                                                                                

“Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased"                                                              

...then the Spirit drives Him into the wilderness to be tested by Satan for 40 days!

Instead of heading to Jerusalem to be crowned King, this Messiah is acting like the Servant with urgent work to do - He goes preaching in despised Galilee!

His authority is undeniable though - it cannot be hidden. Unlike typical disciples who choose which rabbi they will follow, fishermen walk from their businesses to obey Jesus’ call, Jews in the synagogue are amazed at His teaching, demons are forced to recognize Him as ‘the Holy One of God’...

Okay He takes the hand of Simon’s mother-in-law to heal her fever, but just how hands-on will this Servant be?  Would He dare touch a leper?                               

Moved with compassion, Jesus freely handles (haptomai) this leper and healing is immediate from Messiah... 

‘as soon as He had spoken’                           

Of course!

Who is MARK?

Did you notice that when Peter wrote from Babylon he had ‘Marcus my son’ with him. Here’s what we know about John Mark...

• His mother Mary had an upper room where Christians in Jerusalem met
• His mother’s brother was Barnabas from Cyprus
• Mark also joined apostle Paul’s team but soon abandoned them, heading home to Jerusalem
• Later Uncle Barnabas also abandoned Paul and took Mark off to Cyprus
• In the end Mark was useful again to apostle Paul

Gone AWOL

In Jewish prophecy, the Messiah is presented four ways as the ‘Branch’ of David: as King, as Servant, as Son of Man, and as Son of God. Yes, it will take four gospel accounts to present our Lord Jesus Christ and guess who, in cute irony, gets the job of presenting the Servant?

The guy who once shirked duty!... John Mark.

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many”

                                                   

It seems that Mark preferred to run away from uncomfortable situations, even abandoning Jesus at His betrayal. Finally he settled down and wrote especially for Roman readership, highlighting the gross injustice meted out to this lowly Servant.

(Minister comes from Gk: diakoneo – a deacon who does the menial tasks perhaps no-one else wants to do... maybe even clean the church toilets!)                           

NEXT:

We open Mark’s gospel to see what this Servant... DID

CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY?

It’s time for Peter to wrap up his first letter: suffering now will be followed by eternal glory.                                       

So what is called for in the meantime?

“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God...”

Hang on a minute....                                     

Who has Peter just been addressing?  
The church hierarchy?   
The ‘Executive Pastor’?         

No, it is the ELDERS of the church that are meant to be feeding the flock and overseeing it – not under you and not for ‘filthy lucre’ either!

What else does he have to say to the elders? 

“Neither as being lords over God’s heritage...”                                 

Well guess what....                                            

‘Heritage’ comes from the Greek word ‘klerios’ which became ‘clergie’ in French, then ‘clergy’ in English.            

Rather than accept the biblical governance of elders, the clergy have presumed to be God’s heritage!

Are we trying to say that all pastors are greedy for money?                             

Certainly not, but we sure seem to have not taken Peter seriously on this, who was “a witness of the sufferings of Christ”.

Do you think maybe it’s time for all of us to be ‘clothed with humility’?

From now on - LIVING TO GOD

Finally Simon Peter is going to nail it for us in 1 Peter 4. This is where ‘rubber hits the road’... and has done for thousands upon thousands of saints faithful unto death.

Peter saw our Saviour suffer for us, so we should have the same mindset: ‘Don’t be surprised guys when you cop persecution; instead be happy to God’s glory’

The time is over for living like the world does – don’t forget, judgment awaits the living and the dead, in fact... 



“judgment must begin at the house of God”!

Scripture* tells us: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” ...so I wonder what Peter meant with:  
“For this cause was the gospel preached ALSO to them that are dead.”  
Maybe you know?

Is our Saviour God so intent on saving as many as possible from a lost eternity that we can scarcely fathom it?

Meanwhile...let’s be sober, watchful, prayerful, hospitable, loving, using the gifts God has given us as good stewards....

INCREDIBLE GRACE?

Are you ready for this one? This will be so amazing it is hard to believe!

“For Christ has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18- )... no problem there, hey... “...being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” – amazing and wonderful!

Now let’s slow down and read this very carefully...           

“By which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison...”

Who went and preached? Christ did.                   

How??  By the Spirit.                                             

(Noah hasn’t even been mentioned yet)

So who did Christ preach to?                                  

Those who... “which sometime were disobedient when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah”

Is this what it is saying?...

Christ, by the Spirit, preached to those in prison who had been disobedient to God’s longsuffering in Noah’s time!

WOW!! This is more grace than us Christians can cope with, let alone appreciate.

Moving on... 

Are we saved by baptism? Of course not – it is only a figure, just like Noah’s ark, of what Christ has done for us: “The like figure whereunto...”

Whatever this amazing Scripture means...                

What have you done with God’s incredible saving grace towards you?

With MEEKNESS and FEAR??

Still in 1 Peter 3: according to apostle Peter we should be:

• All of one mind
• Compassionate
• Loving
• Pitiful
• Courteous
• Blessing not railing against
• Always speaking without guile
• Going out of my way to avoid evil

Why?? Again, that our prayers be heard by our Lord who is always watching.

Of course all Christians behave like this, even on social media!  Don’t they??

No need to be afraid of the terror of persecution, but.... there is a right place for fear...

“Be always ready to give an answer (Gk: apologia) to every man that asks you for the reason for the hope in you – with meekness and fear.”

Who do we really need to have a healthy fear of?    

Almighty God.  

Yes, even when we feel like arguing on Facebook!

THE LEAD BALLOON

SHEESH!!... How to present 1 Peter 3 in today’s culture?? Modern translations have even interfered with the text to make it more acceptable!                                      

Check out what Peter says to wives.....(this will go over like a lead balloon!)...

• Be subject to your husbands
• Chaste behaviour coupled with fear
• No extravagant dressing
• Meek and quiet spirit
• Sarah called her husband ‘lord’ –    even while talking to herself!

Obviously Peter doesn’t expect women to tolerate domestic violence – ‘not afraid with alarm’ (Gk:ptoesis). Phew!

Husbands don’t get let off though... Give honour to the missus, guys.                            

‘Heirs together of the GRACE OF LIFE’                                                                          

Why? That your prayers be not hindered.

Agreed?

STRANGERS and PILGRIMS

Oops!...We nearly missed a beautiful gem that Peter slips in, borrowed from the prophet Hosea:

“...were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy”  2:10

Don’t you just love the way this rough and ready fisherman balances his down-to-earth reality with profound use of Holy Scripture.       
Next he gives us some very practical guidance on what is expected of us – as worldlings?                                          

No, as strangers and pilgrims!                                       

Is this how we are to behave?...enjoying porn, acting as if above the law, insulting other people, attacking fellow-believers, bad-mouthing the president, cheating my boss.... Not at all!                                                           

We are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, so Peter reminds us SIX WAYS of the Man of Isaiah 53:

• He suffered for us
• He did no sin
• He reviled not
• He bore our sins in His own body on the tree
• By whose stripes we are healed
• You were as sheep going astray

Yes, by God’s mercy we are now His people - so we’d better act like it.

WHO is the ROCK of our FAITH?

Simon Peter has just eloquently presented the gospel so now turns the spotlight on his listeners - us.

Being a very ‘hands-on’ practical guy, he insists that some things would be better tossed overboard: malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, evil talk.... but not God’s Word!...pure milk for the mind.

However, before he can encourage us with what a rich heritage is ours, he feels the need to remind us of just who the Rock of our faith is‘...to Him - the Lord - the living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious to God’, on which we as living stones are laid.

Remember everything happens in 3’s with Peter?...

Well, now he cites 3 Scriptures from his Bible:

 - “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious ...”

 - “The stone which the builders have rejected, the same is made the head of the corner...”

 - “A stone of stumbling and rock of offence...”

Not some cold dumb statue!

There’s no doubt in his mind that he is not the Rock (despite what popes like to claim) so next he borrows from his Jewish heritage to encourage us with our noble calling: “chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, special people of God”.

Wow what a change: darkness to light!

1 Peter 2:1-10

By the way, if you’re looking for more confirmation on just who the Rock of our faith is...

“Moreover brethren, I would not have you be ignorant...they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-4

MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD - MUCH MORE!

What a surprise to find that everything seemed to happen in 3’s for Peter, whose first name Simon means ‘hearing’ but who sure seemed to be a slow learner (just like me!).                                                                              

However...we open this fisherman’s first letter to discover a profoundly eloquent presentation of the gospel!  Nothing can beat reading it for ourselves and we can find the key to his letter in 5:10... ‘glory after suffering’ – just like our Saviour and Lord.

Notice what gets repeated in his chapter 1 presentation, based on his very personal, very real, privileged experiences:

• Redemption... ‘with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot’ (vv2&19)
• ‘A lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead’ (vv3&21)
• ‘the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven’ (vv2&12)

...and what he shares from the Scriptures:

• “Be holy, for I am holy”  (v16)
• “All flesh is as grass, all glory of man as the flower of grass...but the Word of the Lord endures forever.”  (v24-25)

Having been imprisoned 3 times, Peter knows all about trials...and the encouragement needed:

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise, honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

We can sure take it from Peter who sure saw it all - silver and gold don’t even come close! (vv7&18)

The #1 fisherman

Before we open those letters written by Simon Peter, let’s take a look at this guy.  Just how well do we know him?...

Simon was a son of Jonas from Bethsaida, earning his living as a commercial fisherman on the Sea of Galilee until… becoming the first disciple called by Jesus, bowing the knee to Him then following immediately.  Simon was married and even shared a house in Capernaum with his business partner and brother, Andrew.

Have you ever heard that things happen in three’s?        

Well they sure did for Simon Peter!

• He scored 3 names: Simon (Greek form of Simeon) Peter (Gk: ‘a stone’) and Cephas (Aramaic: ‘a stone’)
• He made 3 vital statements:                                         -         “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”   -         Attests apostle Paul’s writings are Holy Scripture   -         “We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they (Gentiles)”
• One of 3 disciples who saw Jesus transfigured and talking with Moses & Elijah
• He witnessed Jesus raising 3 people from the dead
• He witnessed 3 miracles on the Sea of Galilee:             -         Jesus walking on water                                     -         Jesus rebuking a storm                                     -         the fastest boat ride in all of history
• He had 3 things to say to Jesus over having his feet washed
• He had 3 scary brushes with Satan:                           -         rebuked by the Lord: “Get behind me Satan…”         -         warned that Satan wanted to ‘sift him as wheat’   -         witnessed Satan entering Judas Iscariote
• He let fly with 3 statements he would later regret:              -         “I will lay down my life for your sake”                -         “Although all shall be offended, I will not          -         “I will not deny you”
• One of 3 disciples who witnessed the Lord’s agony in Garden of Gethsemane - then went to sleep
• He denied Jesus 3 times – cursing, swearing & lying, just as Jesus predicted
• He experienced his 3 most successful fishing ventures  - directed by the Lord:                                                   -         filled 2 boats so full they began to sink             -         the first fish of the day caught had money in its mouth!                                                                         -         after leading his mates back to fishing, caught 153 huge fish
• The Lord questioned him 3 times whether he loved Him, then warned him of a martyr’s death
• He was arrested 3 times, beaten once
• Gentiles presented a huge problem for him after seeing a vision then being summonsed by Cornelius the centurion in Caesarea…                                                             -         Censured by Jewish Christians for eating with Gentiles                                                                       -         Withstood to the face by Paul for compelling Gentiles to obey Jewish laws                                       -         Settled for being ‘apostle of the circumcision’
• He did 3 bold things with John:                                   -         healed a lame man at the temple, in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarean                                           -         visited believers in Samaria                                 -         told the Jewish elders: “There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” – Jesus Christ of Nazareth
• Given the keys of the kingdom, so he…                     -         was first to address the assembly and the public gathering afterwards                                                   -         opened the door to 3000 Jews and then Gentiles     -         hosted Saul/Paul for 15 days in Jerusalem
• He witnessed all 3 momentous events:                               -         Christ’s death & resurrection                             -         Christ’s ascension                                             -         the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
• He learnt at least 3 important lessons:                         -         “How often should I forgive my brother?”           -         as one of 12 he will sit on a throne judging 12 tribes of Israel                                                             -         lying to the Holy Spirit is more dangerous than Peter’s sword – Ananias & Sapphira dropped dead

Quite some guy don’t you think?...so let’s see what he had to say!...NEXT.

ORDERS ARE ORDERS!

How did Paul end this 2^nd letter to Thessalonica? ...or more to the point, how can we wrap up this letter?

There’s plenty of encouragement, comfort, consolation, hope, grace, love, patience, peace.....                             

There’s also warning to those who choose to be lazy busy-bodies: “Get to work and eat your own bread!”                                                                      

Notice that there’s no warning about not worshipping the antichrist or taking his mark.

Notice also that 4 times Paul speaks of his commands and twice he mentions ‘traditions’.                                  

May be these are just Paul’s opinions?... or he’s just speaking of culture?                                                                         

Oh no...                                                 

These are commands (Gk paraggello: transmitted message) with supreme authority....

“in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” 

Even ‘the traditions’ carry the same authority...               

The Greek word ‘paradosis’ means: transmission of ordinance.

We’d better pay attention, hey.