The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:1-11 (day four)

Today, our church has been called to a time of fasting and prayer.  In our passage, Peter has emphasized that because Christ experienced sufferings, we too can expect them.  He goes on to say that several things should characterize our lives, because the end of all things is near.  Foremost in character is to be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

As you fast and pray today, how do you exercise sound judgment and sober spirit?  Sound judgment suggests praying intelligently…accurately discerning the circumstances in light of biblical truth.  A sober spirit describes one who is focused and alert.  Prayer should not be approached with nonchalance or in a flippant manner.  Prayer is serious business…coming before a holy God to hear His voice and petition His mercy and grace.

Peter’s second admonition is to have forgiving love…our culture today certainly does not encourage that.  Make the most of your prayer today, because the end of all things is near!

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:1-11 (day three)

“The end of all things is near.”

The might possessed by the powers-that-be has a shelf life, and there is nothing to be done about that fact. No suffering meted out by any powerful person or state can outrun the time God has set for the end of all things. Let that reality encourage you to keep company with him who is eternal, Peter says. This comforting statement can also invite unbelievers to reconsider the commonly held notion that the world will go on as it always has. Peter’s audacious remark can lead someone to a crisis of confidence, which can then lead to faith in Christ. May we recognize that the world systems are winding down, and may we invite people to join us in awaiting the age that’s coming, when Christ appears and renews all things.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:1-11 (day one)  Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. vs. 8

There are so many things that are out of your control on a daily basis. Situations arise that you are unprepared to handle. There may be financial crises that seem to never allow you to get ahead. Many things will happen to you, but what matters is your ability to manage what you can control. You are in control of your response, particularly to other people. No matter what comes your way, allow no one to say that you lacked charity or grace. Make people marvel at the way you handle difficult people, adversity, or stress. Focus on what the Lord has blessed you with, and start there. Sometimes all you have is all you need.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:18-22 (day seven) 

… so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. vs 18

There is only one way to get to God. The New Testament is abundantly clear that there is no other way to the Father except through Jesus Christ. You would think that John 14:6 would be enough to convince people that there is no other way, but still, people find ways to circumvent contextual interpretation to appease their beliefs. The purpose of the Incarnation was to provide a way for humanity to dwell with God for eternity as well as in this world. God wouldn’t have needed Jesus to become flesh if His plan was to save the world universally. God needed Jesus to provide a way for us to die in our flesh now in order for us to know God now. Jesus died in His flesh in order to bring us to God and also to bring God to us. God is with us because Jesus made the way… the only way!

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:18-22 (day six)

¹⁹ So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—²⁰ those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat.

Have you ever wished God would hurry things along? Or wonder why he delays his judgement? I imagine Noah felt the same way. It likely took he and his family around 40 years to build the ark, all the while his neighbors became increasingly volatile and wicked.

What we feel as slowness, is actually a demonstration of God’s patient grace towards unbelievers. Paul wrote, “Don’t you know, God’s kindness (delay of judgment) is intended to lead you to repentance?”

So while we may ache for Jesus’ return, may we also recognize God’s desire for all men and women to come to saving faith. All the more reason to do good in the face of suffering.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:18-22 (day five) One of the concerns of studying the scriptures passage by passage is to study them separately from previous passages. We tend to lose context as well as the writer’s train of thought.  The first word in our text this week helps us to think and look back at Peter’s previous point and theme for his letter to the believers in Asia Minor- suffering and persecution. In particular this text is connected (the word “for” indicates a reason or grounds for what will follow) to Peter’s thoughts on righteous suffering.  Our text is seemingly an answer to a previous statement that produced an implied question, “Why is it better to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil?”
The summarized answer from this week’s text- Because Jesus has previously walked the path of righteous suffering which was God’s path and plan for His vindication and glory. Peter points to Jesus’ example to give believers great hope (in the midst of suffering) for our rescue and resurrection- pictured in baptism.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:18-22 (day four)

Prior to Christ, the picture we have of redemption is the work of the priests bringing a sacrifice to atone for sin.  The sacrifices had to be repeated over and over, because they could not pay the full price.  At the right time, Christ came…the sinless, spotless lamb of God…to die once for our sin.  Hebrews 9:24-28 tells us that story.  Christ was able to pay the full price for our sin.

When we die…which we all will…we will stand in judgment…which we all will…before God.  If we have received the gift of salvation through Christ, we will stand before God, not in reference to sin, but rather for salvation.

If any message can be learned from Peter, it is ‘trust Christ’.  His sacrifice, given for our redemption from sin, was planned before the beginning of time.  God is an infinite God…He transcends time.  The work of Christ seems to us to have been long ago, when in God’s timetable, it is as fresh as your last breath!  Trust Christ!

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Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:18-22 (day three)

“…[Christ] went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah…”

Some will interpret this passage as describing Christ’s preaching in the Holy Spirit through Noah to an unbelieving generation, while others will see a description of Christ himself preaching to those who have died. These varying interpretations each lead to further implications about the human person’s relation to God after bodily death, so they are not unimportant. But one thing remains clear. There is not one human being who lives or has ever lived about whom God is unconcerned. God notices when someone is absent from his table. He will spare no effort to seek and to save. And he will teach you to to seek with him.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 3:18-22 (day two)

Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, vs. 21

Make sure to read the full passage when you encounter this verse. It is easy to get hung up on the first phrase and think that the act of baptism has some salvific property. Galatians 2:19-21 serves as a reminder that keeping a command or work is not the act of salvation. Continue reading Peter’s thoughts that our appeal to Christ through the power of his resurrection is the action that leads to salvation. Baptism is a wonderful reminder of the cleansing of our hearts from our own sinful pursuit and desires to a life redeemed and made worthy by Jesus.