Key Topics – Page 77 – Three Minute Bible

June 27, 2020June 29, 2020

1 Peter 1:13 (b) — The Quiz

The word "quiz" written on a chalkboard.

… set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.

Peter continues. He advises us to keep our minds alert and sober. Why? He tells us to set our hope on something that will be given us when Jesus comes. What? What will be “brought to [us]” when Jesus is revealed?

Honestly, this sentence by Peter feels a bit like a flash quiz. In school, there were the tests that you knew were coming; midterms and finals. Those you could plan for. The ones that everyone seemed to hate were those quizzes.

June 26, 2020June 26, 2020

1 Peter 1:13 (a) — Tour Guide

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober…

Years ago back in the late 1970s, I drove a tour bus in Alaska. Not only did I drive the bus, but thanks to the wonders of a microphone mounted on a flex arm I was also the tour guide. Having driven over one hundred thousand miles of Alaskan highways and byways, I feel fairly well qualified to state that a trip through the barren wastelands of Alaska and the Yukon is much more entertaining with a tour guide than it is driving-driving-driving until you get to the next place on the map.

A good tour guide knows a lot about his or her territory. A tour guide has to know where they are at any given time. That kind of goes without saying.

June 25, 2020June 25, 2020

1 Peter 1:12 (b) — Beyond Measure, Part III

A dove flies against a black background.

Even angels long to look into these things.

Today is the third installment of what salvation means. We are exploring this topic because Peter is. He has just pointed out that the prophets were serving you and me when they wrote down the things that we have been told about the gospel. The “things,” he goes on, are of such significance, that “even angels long to look into [them].”

The first thing we noted (and remember, we are speaking in broad terms here!) is that Jesus redeems us from spiritual death. In referring to a “spiritual death” the scriptures point to our separation from God as being dead to God. (Genesis 3: 3; 3: 8-10)

June 24, 2020June 24, 2020

1 Peter 1:12 (b) — Beyond Measure, Part II

Even angels long to look into these things.

In yesterday’s post, I started by saying, “Peter is telling us about salvation. Broadly speaking ‘salvation’ in this case refers to several things.” And then I went on to tell you about only one thing. Today I would like to follow up on that thought with another thing related to salvation.

As we discussed yesterday, the first thing salvation refers to is the restoration of our relationship with God. The second “thing” is that the restoration of this relationship is complicated. Human nature was irreversibly altered by the sin of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3: 5 the serpent says,

“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020

1 Peter 1:12 (b) — Beyond Measure

Even angels long to look into these things.

Every once in awhile a verse seems to jump out of the Bible at me. This is one of those verses.

Peter is telling us about salvation. Broadly speaking “salvation” in this case refers to several things. It begins with God’s plan for redeeming His creation. Remember the story in Genesis where God says, “… you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die”? (Genesis 2: 16-17)

Interestingly, the current version of the NIV is in the minority here. Thirty-eight of fifty-two translations available at Biblegateway.com use some version of “day,” as in “… in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (ESV) As I understand the text, when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3, God’s word holds true. They “die” from God’s point of view.

June 22, 2020June 22, 2020

1 Peter 1:12 (a) — Whom do you serve?

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

What sets a prophet apart is being called by God to be a messenger of God’s Word. I am capitalizing “Word” because these messages are holy. Mundane or spectacular, the Word from God is special. But never forget, prophets are people, too. They are not Superman. They have feelings like you and me.

June 21, 2020June 20, 2020

1 Peter 1:11 (c) — Glory

Stained glass window showing face of Jesus in glory.

…and the glories that would follow.

Today’s passage rounds out the thought that Peter is sharing with us in this passage. The prophets of old were hungry to know about God’s plan of salvation. They understood that the Messiah would come. The question was, “When?” They understood he would suffer for our sins. The question was, “How?” They also understood something else: Glory would follow suffering.

When Jesus finally came, the whole world turned against him and cried, “Crucify him!” When the whole world seems to turn against one person, how is there any glory in that for that person? The answer depends on your point of view.

If you are standing with the devil the sight of God’s Son dying on the cross seems like a victory. The glory goes to the victor and Satan appears to have won. But Satan doesn’t win. The victory is fleeting. Like everything else about Satan, this victory is false.

The Author of Life has endured death on the cross for a very specific purpose. He is, as Isaiah prophesied, our redeemer. (Isaiah 47:4) From the perspective of God, the death of Jesus was not a loss, but a gain. Having endured the shame, accusations, torture, abuse, and crucifixion, Jesus rises above it all and draws us to him. Jesus has accomplished the will of his Father. (John 19:30) That is glory. Everyone redeemed by Jesus knows what he has done. That is glory. When Satan himself is thrown into the lake of fire, he, too, will know that Jesus is King. That is glory.

Each victory over Satan, no matter how small, brings glory to our King. The “glories that would follow” include your victory over sin and mine. Praise God!

Application: Think about how far you have come and where you would be if it were not for Jesus. Then give glory to our God.

Food for Thought: What other thoughts do you have about glory?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

June 20, 2020June 20, 2020

Jeremiah 45 — Hanging Out With The Prophets

When Baruch son of Neriah wrote on a scroll the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: You said, ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’ But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the earth. Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.’”

The prophets of God are an amazing group of people. Being called to be a prophet was a great honor, but the burden that went with the honor was also great. Since we are talking about prophets, and in light of the events that have been in the news recently, I wanted to share this short passage from Jeremiah.

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.