Jesus – Page 21 – Three Minute Bible

June 19, 2020June 19, 2020

1 Peter 1: 11 (b) — The Value of Hindsight

A closeup view of a car's rearview mirror.

…when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah …

The suffering of the Messiah is the pivotal event in all human history. Without a willing Messiah, humanity would have eventually burned itself up. In the final analysis, after all the souls were counted, God would not have had much to show for his trouble. The rest of us would have ended up in the eternal garbage bin, languishing forever in the vacuum of rejection we had crafted for ourselves.

But that is not how it played out. Instead, the God who created us became our savior. More than that, our salvation was not an impulsive gambit. It was not a last-minute effort to save the day. Instead, our God knew from the very beginning that a savior would be needed. (See Genesis 3: 14-15) He also knew who that savior would be, and the point in history when salvation needed to occur.

June 17, 2020June 17, 2020

1 Peter 1:9 — Random Thoughts

Hundreds of small multi-colored cubes floating against a black background.

… for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

So what is the point of having faith in Jesus? Why would anyone want to believe in someone that they cannot see? Well, the answer it turns out has to do with something else we cannot see; the salvation of our souls.

Two days ago, in the post, “Testimony,” I shared the short version of how I came to believe in Jesus. Along the way, I had to come to believe in “all things visible and invisible” as it says in the Nicene Creed. One thing I firmly believe in is the existence of my soul. If I were no more than a stalk of celery or a blade of grass I wouldn’t care what happens to me. But I do care. I care a lot. And the fact that we care about what happens to us sets you and me apart from almost everything else in Creation.

June 16, 2020June 20, 2020

1 Peter 1:8 (b) — Joy

…and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…

Who could object to having inexpressible and glorious Joy? Even for a moment, let alone for a lifetime. But for eternity? Really?

To put this verse in context Peter says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and…you believe in him … and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…”

In yesterday’s post, “Testimony,” we discussed why people believe in Jesus even two thousand years after he lived on earth. The answer, it seems, is that God calls us to believe and makes it possible for us to believe. But how? How does God do this?

June 14, 2020June 14, 2020

1 Peter 1:7 — Refined by Fire

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I don’t know about you, but I find this sentence confusing. I glanced through several other translations of this verse and you know what? They confused me, too.

Let’s deconstruct what Peter is saying here:

These have come…

In verse six, Peter talks about the grief believers suffer because of “all kinds of trials.” Peter knows what he is talking about here. He certainly has experienced all kinds of trials! But why do trials come? Why do we suffer if God is watching out for us?

June 11, 2020June 12, 2020

1 Peter 1: 3-4 (a) — Born Again

A newborn's feet stick out of a warm blanket.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

It was night. We presume it was dark. The year was somewhere around 33 or 34 AD. What passed for streetlights were torches or fire-pots, and now and then stray lamp light escaping from a window.

A man of advancing age wearing the robes of a professional educator makes his way down one alley after another. Finally, he reaches his goal, a door of rough wood in a seedy part of town. He knocks and after it opens exchanges a few words. He enters. His name is Nicodemus. The person he has come to see is a man named Jesus.

June 9, 2020June 10, 2020

1 Peter 1:2 (d) — Sprinkled

Red paint splattered on a white background

… and sprinkled with his blood…

Let’s continue with our deep dive into Peter’s opening words. We’ve talked about who and what Peter is and then moved into his description of the people he is writing to. Looking at the key concepts he has included it reads almost like a creed. We who believe are chosen by God, exiled from the world, known intimately by our Father, sanctified and continuing in sanctification to be obedient to Jesus Christ. And then we come to being sprinkled with his blood.

The thought of writing about this is daunting for me. I don’t even like the sight of blood. Yet being “sprinkled in blood” is an important part of Jewish history. It is one of the key prophetic pointers in the Old Testament that foretell the work of the Messiah.

June 8, 2020June 9, 2020

1 Peter 1:2 (c) — Pirate Talk

A pirate ship sails a stormy sea against a yellow sky.

… to be obedient to Jesus Christ …

Just for the record, I don’t claim to know how all this works. Also for the record, I am suspicious of anyone who does claim to know how this works. Jude 1: 8-9 reads:

“In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’“

Just as Jude defers to God’s judgment in disputes with the devil, I’m prone to defer to God’s judgment if there is any mystery about something in the Scriptures. What is very clear is Peter’s understanding of why we are chosen.

May 30, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25d — Something Fishy

Large aquarium with people standing outside looking in at the fish.

…through Jesus Christ our Lord …

Jude is nearing the end of his letter and his doxology. Today he tells us something very important and also very mysterious. Everything God does is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Several questions come to mind. How does Jude know this? What does it mean? How does this work?

The reason I say that this is “mysterious” is that some things are beyond our ability to know. We can guess, and we can surmise, but we can’t know. Even though this is beyond our ability to know the answer directly, God has given us some clues in his Word.

May 28, 2020May 29, 2020

Jude 1: 25b — Saved

… our Savior …

As we continue with Jude’s doxology, we follow him from praising God for what he does for us (keeping us from stumbling and presenting us without fault) to describing the attributes of God. The first attribute is that He is the only God. There is no other God. He does not have any competition.

Today we turn to his most important work; the saving of his creation.

May 26, 2020May 26, 2020

Jude 1: 24b — The Heart of Jude

The nativity is intertwined with the word, "Love" against a colorful background.

…and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—

At the beginning of Jude’s letter (verse 1) he writes: “To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ…” These people, he adds, will be presented before Christ “without fault and with great joy.”

How?

This is the heart of Jude. This is what he wanted to write about in the first place. What is the amazing secret? How are sinful people to be presented before Jesus Christ without fault? As he pointed out earlier, the answer is Jesus Christ himself.