ASSURANCE

Following in fear

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“…Jesus was walking ahead of them.” Mark 10:32-34

The story picks up just where it was before being interrupted by the rich man. Jesus and his disciples are on the road, leaving the town and heading up towards Jerusalem. Jesus has not brought them to Jerusalem before and this caused amazement and fear among them.

They had experienced firsthand the animosity of the religious leaders while traveling with Jesus. But they had been far to the north of Jerusalem, in Galilee. These leaders had sent investigators to find out what Jesus was up to. They tested him constantly with religious brain twisters and conundrums. They accused him of being in league with the devil and of drawing his miraculous power from Satan himself.

So far, Jesus had bested them with his words and wisdom. But in Jerusalem, the deck would be stacked against him. What had been merely a war of words could easily get physical with dire results. Why would he march directly into a trap?

Jesus walked ahead of the disciples. Did he desire to be alone and prepare himself for what lay ahead? Or did the disciples shrink back, unsure of what to say or think?

Jesus does not leave them in this state. He stops to take them all aside and begins telling them what will happen to him. He has told them this twice before, but they had not understood him. It was too different from the path they had traveled and from what they had imagined lay ahead.

He is matter of fact in relating these things and doesn’t pull his punches. He will be turned over to the religious leaders, condemned to death and sent to the Romans for execution. They will mock, spit on and scourge him before killing him. And three days later he will rise again.

Jesus does not keep us in the dark about what lies ahead. He does not assure us everything will be all right and we have nothing to be concerned about. In fact, he has told us things will get a lot worse before they even begin to get better. So, what good is that?

We must remain confident that he has things well in hand. He knows what is coming and expects us to weather the storm, keeping our eye and faith firmly on him. He will bring us through. We can never forget the hope that lies before us and that, like him, we will “rise again.”

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Be watchful

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“Be sober-minded; be watchful.”

The letter has come to an end. We are left on “Red Alert”, as they might say on Star Trek. Why the concern? We have an adversary, the devil. He “prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.”

This cannot be understated or ignored. This enemy is actively seeking ways to destroy us. His primary weapons are fear and deception, hoping to dislodge that seed of faith which God has sown in our hearts.

But we are not without hope or defense. By His Spirit, we can resist the devil and his schemes. We can remain firm in our faith and even see it increase. The suffering that the devil brings is not limited to you and me, but is experienced by all believers throughout the world.

And we know a secret that the devil doesn’t know or has forgotten. The suffering is only for a little while. The outcome of this battle is known and certain. Remember the beginning of this letter? The God of all grace has called us. He choose us. Nothing can change that. God will overcome our enemies and rescue us. Regarding us, He Himself will:

  • Restore
  • Confirm
  • Strengthen
  • Establish

In short, we win. And don’t forget: there’s a pretty nice inheritance as part of the deal, too.

For more, see 1 Peter 5:8-11

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

God’s business

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“…he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison…”

Why do those supermarket tabloids always grab our attention? We easily see through their outrageous headlines and pasted-together photos… yet we still want to see what’s inside.

We can be just as easily drawn to spiritual nonsense, too, and this passage has more than it’s share of proponents for wild explanations and sensational revelations. How can you keep from being taken in? A good rule of thumb is to look at the context, both in the same paragraph and from the greater context of the entire Bible.

What is the context here? It’s something we see scattered throughout Scripture. God has been continually at work for the salvation of human souls. Peter brings it up here since he has been speaking of the suffering we encounter in our lives. He wants to emphasize that Jesus suffered as well, but for a far greater purpose. His suffering was for our sins that he might bring us to God.

It doesn’t help that the language here is somewhat less than crystal clear. We must be careful not to make inferences that cannot be supported by the clear teaching found elsewhere in the Bible. The best explanations I’ve read about this passage are also the least sensational and appealing to our thirst for “secret” knowledge. In the days of Noah, Jesus, being part of the Godhead with the Father and the Spirit, preached to the people through Noah. Those people are now dead, or imprisoned, since they did not heed the message.

The main takeaway is that the eight people who trusted God were brought safely through the water. The obvious comparison is to baptism. It’s not about soap and water and scrubbing behind your ears, but about dying to sin and being raised to newness of life. Jesus was resurrected from the dead and is now in heaven, where all angels, authorities and powers are subjected to him. And nothing can stop Him from bringing us along.

For more details, see 1 Peter 3:18-22. No UFO’s. I promise.

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

Not Disappointed

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How many of us drive out onto a bridge without a second thought? What is the basis of our confidence that it will support the weight of ourselves and our vehicles and not send us crashing into the river below?

It really is pretty simple. We’ve seen other people cross the bridge without incident. We may have crossed it ourselves at other times. The standards of trained and experienced professionals are applied and enforced by the power of government in its construction. And the occurrence of a catastrophic failure is rare indeed.

But that begs the question: Are the works of man greater and more reliable than the works of God? Peter is convinced this is not so and quotes Scripture to underscore his point:

Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed. (1 Peter 2:6 NASB)

This is not common knowledge. There are many who claim that their own personal experience demonstrates God can not be trusted with their lives. Thus they exempt themselves from the blessings God has for the believer.

On the other hand, we who believe in Him are so convinced of His dependability that we take every opportunity to proclaim His excellence. If not, then there is no better time to begin than now. After all, we were once without mercy and now we have received mercy in a measure far beyond what we deserve.

1 Peter 2:6-10

Copyright 2018 David J. Cooley

Kept by God’s Power

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“…you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation…” 1 Peter 1:5

Do you trust God to keep you safe? Think about it – isn’t that what it means to be “kept… through faith unto salvation”?

We have a cat who doesn’t always show that he trusts us much. Except in one area – food. He is ever hopeful that we will feed him. And we always do, perhaps too much. Especially since he’s developed a knack for convincing someone else he hasn’t been fed when he already has.

Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:25-26 ESV

Yet Peter assures us that God’s care for us extends well beyond the basic necessities of life. In fact, it extends beyond life itself, since he has given us new life by a new birth. We enjoy a lively hope of being resurrected from the dead. This is his certain promise to us, an everlasting gift that we will inherit as his children.

“…an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:4 ESV) That means it will never rot, be destroyed or damaged. What is promised will be delivered. There will be no claims that cannot be satisfied. Isn’t that better than anything the world can offer?

Reference: 1 Peter 1:3-5.

(c)2018 David J. Cooley