It is a blessing to know that the Lord is watching over His children. His children are the righteous. The Bible is constantly reminding us that God’s children are different. They are His children. They are not just God’s children in name, but they have been given a new nature. They are changed by Him at salvation and they need to grow in Him after salvation.
God is always ready to listen to the prayers of His children. It is a blessing to know that we can have access to that throne of grace at any time. We have already noted that when a husband does not treat his wife properly, his prayers will be hindered. That husband is acting like an unrighteous person, rather than like the righteous person he has been made to be in Christ. The solution is for that husband to repent and confess his sin and get right with God.
God warns us that He is against those that do evil. That was a necessary warning in Peter’s day. It is also a necessary warning for today. The Roman government was doing evil and that is why it eventually fell. The Judaizers were also against God and they are suffering in torment today. All people are born as lost sinners, and it is important to remind each generation of the need to be saved and that unless they get saved, God is against them. Lost people struggle and the reason for that is because the Lord is against them. We can see this fact revealed in our world today.
The ungodly choices that were made over the past three years clearly show that God is against our nation. When high-classed officials plot a course of action designed to destroy people, that is clearly the work of the devil. There are too many people who have decided that God is irrelevant and the result of that choice has led to the evil we have witnessed over the past three years. That evil has been well groomed into our society.
The WHO is currently trying to gain control of the entire health portfolio for the world. They do not like it that different countries chose different ways of dealing with the reports of this massive “pandemic”. They want the power to be able to declare the next “health crisis” and they want the world to bow to their whims. This plan is currently being debated in England. I have not read of any debate on this in Canada.
All of my lifetime, evolution has been the standard by which young people have been taught. Evolution is a lie and it is designed to do away with God. The results of an evolutionary mindset is an inability to think clearly.
God directed the apostle Paul to warn of the dangers of the evolutionary mindset in Romans 1. When the creature is elevated over the Creator, there will always be trouble. Paul stated that God gave them over to a reprobate mind. That is what we have running our country.
Those who are saved need to humbly submit to God’s Word and speak the truth. That is the only way to help those who are determined to go the wrong way. That will cause tension, but it is a worthy tension. It is far better to have some wicked person put the brakes on and see where they are at, than to let that wicked person pursue an evil course and then seek to impose that evil course on the righteous.
The Bible shows us that God raised up men in every generation who were told to speak the truth to their society. This truth is necessary for kings, and for governors and for the common man. We know this will not be appreciated by the powers that be, but we also know that many people benefited from the few who were obedient to God’s Word.
In verse 13 we are reminded that the righteous are under God’s protection. He will keep His child in His care. Peter suffered persecution as all saved people will. However, his soul was secure in Christ. He also did not fall apart emotionally due to the persecution. We have noted before that God’s promises do not always pertain to the physical realm. In the Old Testament, true prophets often suffered physical abuse at the hands of ungodly Jewish leaders. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ was hated by the ungodly Jews and He was abused and brutally beaten and then nailed to a cross. He was mocked and He died on the cross. He rose again victorious over sin and death. He is seated on the right hand of His Father right now. Those who are saved have eternal life and we have the privilege of praying to God the Father in Jesus’ name. The important thing is to follow that which is good.
In verse 14 we are reminded that suffering for righteousness sake is honourable. Christians do not look for trouble. We know that trouble will follow God’s people. The world hates the truth. We can see that all around us. The New Evangelical crowd has been working hard to make God a liar. They have found many ways to get the ungodly to applaud them. They have adopted the worldly music and the immodesty of the world. They have corrupted God’s righteous standard for marriage and they have accepted the sodomite agenda. The reason for this is they have adopted the corrupted perversions of God’s Word.
Faithful Christians do not need to be afraid of the ungodly. We know the ungodly have the power of their corrupted laws behind them. However, they do not have the blessing of God on them. They will one day face the wrath of God in a much greater way unless they repent and are saved.
In verse 15 we are reminded that the saved need to sanctify the Lord God in their hearts. The Greek word translated as “sanctify” means “to make holy” or “purify”. The saved person needs to purify God in his heart. The word “Lord” speaks of “master”. The saved person needs to understand that he is under the authority of God. The Bible tells us that the child of God has been bought with a price and he belongs to God.
The word “God” speaks of “magistrate”. Peter has been reminding us throughout this epistle, that the true child of God is under God’s authority. Those who are saved know that prior to salvation, we were making a mess of our lives. In salvation we submitted ourselves to God’s authority. He saved us and He has set the standard by which we must live. Peter was directed to state that the saved person needs to consciously and purposefully purge his heart and mind of sinful thoughts and actions. In salvation, the blood of Jesus Christ has created a new creature in Christ. Now, as a child of God, the saved person needs to examine every thought and action to make sure it is of God and not of the devil. We have mentioned before that there have been many changes in most religious organizations. Rather than sanctifying the Lord God, they have been rejecting the Lord God.
The true child of God needs to be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh. If a Christian is walking in sin, he cannot give an answer to every man. He has no answer. He is living in defiance of God’s Word. The true child of God needs to live in accordance with God’s Word. The local church is there to teach God’s Word and to set the standard of how the child of God needs to live.
The child of God does not live a boastful life. He walks in meekness and in fear. That is the fear of God. He has a holy reverence for God. In verse 16 we are reminded that the righteous person needs to have a good conscience. He needs to be free from guilt and sin. The ungodly will be sure to try to find fault with the true child of God. They do not want someone who does not swear and talk of worldly things. They want to try to find fault with the true child of God. The false teachers of Jesus’ day were constantly looking for a way to find fault with Him. They could never find any fault with Him. Pilate had to admit that he found no fault in Jesus. Those who are saved need to seek to live holy lives. We are not Jesus and we will sin. We cannot excuse our sin. We need to confess our sin and put in place verses that will help us to honour God rather than go our own way.
As the true child of God lives righteously, the ungodly will not have anything to accuse them of. Rather than have an accusation that sticks, they will be made ashamed for lying about the godly person. The true child of God needs to have a good conversation in Christ. The Greek word translated as “conversation” means “conduct”. It refers to the lifestyle. The saved person needs to learn to live in the way that pleases God. This is not a burden for those who are truly saved. This is what God designed man to be. Those who are saved have been brought to a place where they are connected rightly to the true God. The saved person must reflect who he or she truly is. The Holy Spirit, indwelling the true child of God, is there to guide the true child of God in the right way.
Pastor Bartel