Encourgaing Message in Light of 2020

[Reformed]

This past Lord's day the preacher cited this passage from 1 Peter:

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (NASB)

Other versions translate the passage this way:

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (KJV)

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)

Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (NET)

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. (NIV)

The context of the 1 Peter 1 is about the living hope that is ours in Jesus Christ (v. 3). This hope is ours, "even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials" (v. 6).

There is no doubt that 2020 has been full of "various trials". Some of these trials we all share. Some trials are more personal. We also have anxieties and fears. I read more threads than I participate in these days. That is on purpose. I listen to many of my Christian friends lamenting what will happen if their candidate does not win this November. Some are worried because they have lost or may lose their job because of the ripples of COVID-19. With all this uncertainty swarming around us, is it not right that we should be remained to fix our hope completely on Jesus Christ? Since we have a living hope and our eternal destination is secure, should we have a spirit of fear or a spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7)? Indeed, can we echo the words of the Apostle Paul who wrote, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."?

Isaiah 41:10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’​

 

[JonC]

This past Sunday I taught on 1 Peter 1:1-12 and it was very fitting for the trials of this world. We have a living hope.

 

[SavedByGrace]

This past Sunday I taught on 1 Peter 1:1-12 and it was very fitting for the trials of this world. We have a living hope.

Great Passage!

 

[AustinC]

@Reformed, Peter's letters are filled with the reminder that God's ordained trials are for our good. I look at my brother's and sister's around the world and I realize that we who live in the USA have yet to face deep trials as a nation. 2020 is but a warning shot by our King. Darkness is about to fall on this land and God will make us a light on a hill. Gird up your loins and ready yourself for the defense of the gospel.
Pray for the peace of the city.

 

[JonC]

One gentleman stated that trials and suffering are the devil working against us. We spent some time on 1 Peter 1:6-7

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It is not in the easy times but in the hard times, the persecutions and suffering, that our faith is evident because it is in those times that our faith is refined and proven.

 

[Dr. Bob]

This past Sunday I preached an exposition of Hosea 2 - God turns the Valley of Achor (trouble) into the Valley of Hope. Now THAT is good news!

 

[Yeshua1]

@Reformed, Peter's letters are filled with the reminder that God's ordained trials are for our good. I look at my brother's and sister's around the world and I realize that we who live in the USA have yet to face deep trials as a nation. 2020 is but a warning shot by our King. Darkness is about to fall on this land and God will make us a light on a hill. Gird up your loins and ready yourself for the defense of the gospel.
Pray for the peace of the city.

If the Dems fully take over as now being projected, we will indeed being into the battle between Kingdoms of Christ and Satan now!

 

[AustinC]

If the Dems fully take over as now being projected, we will indeed being into the battle between Kingdoms of Christ and Satan now!

We always have been in a battle. However, the church may need to go underground sooner than later.

 

[Yeshua1]

We always have been in a battle. However, the church may need to go underground sooner than later.

Or else stand up firmly and be active opposing those seeking to have evil established!

 

[AustinC]

Or else stand up firmly and be active opposing those seeking to have evil established!

Certainly we can take our stand. Be ready to be martyred.
The church will go underground as it has done throughout the world.
Interestingly, the underground church in China and Iran is growing exponentially, so don't view it as a bad thing.

 

[Yeshua1]

Certainly we can take our stand. Be ready to be martyred.
The church will go underground as it has done throughout the world.
Interestingly, the underground church in China and Iran is growing exponentially, so don't view it as a bad thing.

well, the blood of the Martyrs are the seed of the church!

 

[HatedByAll]

The fight in the United States has clearly started. The two battle fronts are abortion and freedom of speech for Christians concerning the subject of homosexuality.

For those willing to open their eyes, the persecution of Christians for believing in the sanctity of life is evident right now with the hatred toward the Christian who is being confirmed for Supreme Court Justice right now.

For those of you who have no reason to have an interest in ministering to people with same sex attractions or those who are active in the gay lifestyle, you may not know how dangerous "anti-conversion" laws are. In the countries, states, provinces, and cities where these laws have been passed, the laws go way past what they claim to do. In most of these areas it is against the law for a minister to tell homosexual congregants what is clearly stated in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11.

Liberals hate the truth of the Bible that homosexuals must stop believing that they have to trust in homosexuality to have a full life. In England they have already made it so an ex-gay ministry can not conduct business at a bank. And in Canada preachers have been threatened with arrest if they simply tell their members what the Bible has to say on the subject.

I am ready, willing, and able to share the simple truth that those of us who have struggled with same sex attractions can have freedom through making Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It is simply a choice of who will you believe. Jesus who promises a fulfilled eternal life and who delivers to those who truly believe. Or do you trust the minions of Satan. The ones who say you were born this way you have to accept that you are gay.

Jesus delivers eternal life and a life worth living. Satan my offer a fun life for a season but the cost of that fun is eternal death with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Sent from my SM-G930R7 using Tapatalk

 

[AustinC]

The fight in the United States has clearly started. The two battle fronts are abortion and freedom of speech for Christians concerning the subject of homosexuality.

For those willing to open their eyes, the persecution of Christians for believing in the sanctity of life is evident right now with the hatred toward the Christian who is being confirmed for Supreme Court Justice right now.

For those of you who have no reason to have an interest in ministering to people with same sex attractions or those who are active in the gay lifestyle, you may not know how dangerous "anti-conversion" laws are. In the countries, states, provinces, and cities where these laws have been passed, the laws go way past what they claim to do. In most of these areas it is against the law for a minister to tell homosexual congregants what is clearly stated in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11.

Liberals hate the truth of the Bible that homosexuals must stop believing that they have to trust in homosexuality to have a full life. In England they have already made it so an ex-gay ministry can not conduct business at a bank. And in Canada preachers have been threatened with arrest if they simply tell their members what the Bible has to say on the subject.

I am ready, willing, and able to share the simple truth that those of us who have struggled with same sex attractions can have freedom through making Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It is simply a choice of who will you believe. Jesus who promises a fulfilled eternal life and who delivers to those who truly believe. Or do you trust the minions of Satan. The ones who say you were born this way you have to accept that you are gay.

Jesus delivers eternal life and a life worth living. Satan my offer a fun life for a season but the cost of that fun is eternal death with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Sent from my SM-G930R7 using Tapatalk

I have enjoyed listening to Rosaria Butterfield, Christopher Yuan and Sam Allberry.
Singleness, Same-Sex Attraction, and the Church: A Conversation with Sam Allberry, Rosaria Butterfield, and Christopher Yuan