Jesus in the General Epistles (4)
Pray Psalm 65.1, 2, 4.
Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.
O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come…
Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.
Sing Psalm 65.1, 2, 4.
(Moody: Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord)
Praise from Your people is due, O LORD;
praise will arise, extolling Your Word.
All of our vows we will gladly pay;
hear us, O LORD, when to You we pray!
Refrain v. 4
Blessed are all who chosen by You in Your courts shall dwell.
Keep us near You, and let Your goodness content us well.
Read Heb. 10.11-18; 2 Pet. 1.2-4; 1 Jn. 5.20, 21; meditate on 2 Peter 1.2-4.
Preparation
1. What is the source of grace and peace?
2. What has God given us? Why?
Meditation
Grace and peace are the hallmarks and privilege of those who have eternal life, that is, those who know God and Jesus Christ (Jn. 17.3) and whom Jesus has set apart to be His own people (1 Pet. 2.9, 10). Increasing in grace (“multiplied”) fits us for service, so that we may channel the grace of God to the world more consistently and effectively. Increasing in shalom brings that inward sense of wellbeing which is the narthex to joy, and which endures regardless of outward circumstances. We can grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and thus in grace and peace (2 Pet. 3.18), and it would seem to be a sin, at least a mark of folly, not to do so.
The end of Christian life—that for which Jesus has set us apart as His own people—is oneness with God, to be like Him “as far as our capacities will allow” (Calvin), for we must always remain creatures. Paul says the same thing, as does the apostle John. We have been redeemed and recreated in Christ Jesus to share in Him, in His life and His divine spiritual existence, that He might refract through our lives His light and grace and truth.
This is true for each believer individually as well as each congregation of His Body and His Body as a whole. The key to this is laying hold on the promises of God which are in Jesus Yes and Amen (2 Cor. 1.20). Understand the promises, desire them as the framework for your hope, pursue them in all your thoughts and deeds—this is the way to become like Jesus and thus, to fulfill our calling as His people and know fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
To sanctify a people for Himself, Jesus Christ died, taking the burden of sin off us
and carrying it for us before the throne of judgment and grace.
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting
till His enemies are made His footstool.
For by one offering He has perfected forever
those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10.12-14).
Then, for the purpose of sanctification, the Holy Spirit gets to work in our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit Himself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He Who searches the hearts
knows what the mind of the Spirit is,
because He makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined
to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8.26-29).
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
try me, and know my anxieties;
and see if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139.23, 24).
To be sanctified we must daily read and meditate on His Word—His Laws and His wondrous works—
and spend time in prayer and fellowship with Him regarding the Scriptures we have read.
“The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him,
but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him” (Ezra 8.22).
“Keep yourselves from idols” (1 Jn. 5.21).
This would be anything that takes the place of God in importance—that which consumes our thoughts—or is our primary love. An idol is an object of extreme devotion; a representation or symbol of an object of worship; a false god; a false conception, a fallacy. “You may worship no other god than Me. You shall not make yourselves any idols…You must never bow or worship it in any way; for I, the LORD your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection with any other god!” (Ex. 20.3-5 TLB).
The Holy Spirit will use His methods to keep us from idols of any sort, shape, or color—animal, vegetable, or mineral. It is His goal to make us holy. And for that we are awestruck and acquiescent.
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.
You are good, and do good, teach me Your statutes.”
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”
“I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
“Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort [and sanctification],
According to Your word to Your servant” (Ps. 119.67, 68, 71, 75).
What Jesus did on our behalf, the suffering and death that worked for our good—was to please the Father. The next step—sanctification—“Because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I AM holy’” (1 Pet. 1.16).
Reflection
1. How would you explain “sanctification” to a new believer? How would you help that new believer get started in sanctification?
2. What has God been doing in you of late to further sanctify you as one of His people?
3. Whom will you encourage today in their sanctification?
Let us then mark, that the end of the gospel is, to render us eventually conformable to God, and, if we may so speak, to deify us…when divested of all the vices of the flesh, we shall be partakers of divine and blessed immortality and glory, so as to be as it were one with God as far as our capacities will allow. John Calvin (1509-1564) Commentary on 2 Peter 1.4
Pray Psalm 65.3-5.
Give praise and thanks to Jesus Who is even now preparing a place for us and will come again soon to take us to Himself. Pray that we will be just the kind of people He’s looking for when He returns.
Sing Psalm 65.3-5.
(Moody: Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord)
All to Your Presence shall surely come;
as for our sins, You cancel the sum!
Awesome Your deeds and Your saving worth;
You are the trust of the seas and earth!
Refrain v. 4
Blessed are all who chosen by You in Your courts shall dwell.
Keep us near You, and let Your goodness content us well.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” wraps up our study of time and how to use it and turns next to consider the work we’ve been given to do. In our Read Moore column, we continue working through the book, Understanding the Times. And I encourage you to follow our Corsfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, nicknamed “The Navigator.” Join us and find out why. Click the Articles tab on the home page to see all the selections available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
