Name change, and new purpose in life, with specific calling of the Lord.
God gives faith to apostles and to people, it's the same faith.
More grace and peace is found in knowing the Lord.
All that is needed for life and Godliness has been given to us.
We have escaped the corruption in the world through lust.
Saved, then adding to our faith.
Growth brings usefulness, and fruitfulness
Lack of growth brings shortsightedness, and forgetfulness of God's forgiveness.
Diligence to make calling and election sure, means something in the future also.
Peter used his time left, to care for others through the Word.
Peter understood the value or reminding christians of the truth.
The truth brought to memory can stir up the believer.
Peter and the others made known the power and the coming of Jesus.
They told about seeing Him on the Mt of transfiguration.
Peter called him, "His Majesty"
They heard the voice of God, affirming the Lord Jesus Christ.
They had the prophetic word confirmed. ( that is, they saw what the OT said would happen
regarding Christ, and His glory, His second coming. They saw Him as He will be in the future..
We do well to take heed to the Word of God....to the prophetic word, and to the word itself
The Word is "a light that shines in a dark place"
We do well to take heed until, ( Jesus comes again ) i.e the day dawns, morning star rises.
In your hearts, i.e in your life, when you see Jesus.
And, also, in your own hearts and lives, take heed to the Word of God, until God brings light as it were into your own lives, and Jesus is revealed to you in your heart etc, etc.
Know that prophecy did not come from man's will, but, holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit. ( Still that way today. God's Holy Spirit moves upon peoples hearts and lives to bring about His will for their lives, and through their lives )
Pastor Bob Grenier
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
About Bible Prophecy......
2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
2 Peter 1:17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
2 Peter 1:18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
2 Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
2 Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Just a few comments.........
Peter was explaining the fact that what they preached concerning the coming of the Lord. This truth is not a cunningly devised fable, but, Peter and the others had been eyewitnesses His majesty. By the way, what a wonderful name of Jesus. "His Majesty".
So, what you have here from Peter, is what we call today, "An eyewitness account" of these events. They saw Jesus personally.
Also, God the Father gave Jesus glory and honor, and spoke to Peter and 2 other apostles on the Mt of Transfiguration, and spoke of His being pleased with Jesus Christ. Peter heard this voice. Not only seeing Jesus in His glorified state, but hearing the voice of God. They saw and they heard.
Some possible meanings the prophetic word confirmed" #1 the things that had been prophesied in the Old Testament, were now confirmed in Peter's hearing, and seeing. Or, #2 he could mean, the "prophetic word confirmed" is greater then even what we heard and saw, it's a surer foundation, ( then even our eyewitness, and hearing account ) I think it's #2
And, Peter goes on to say about the Word of God......You are doing well, if you pay attention to it. The Word of God is likened unto a light, or a lamp that would be shining in dark or squalid place. Keep letting it shine, until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your heart. Be patient, let the Word of God into your life, and let it do in your life what God intends it to do. It will happen. The Lord will give you understanding in and about Himself, and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit of God. He will reveal Himself to you through His Word.
Finally, he explains about the Word of God, that it did not come from men, in the sense that it found it's origins in man, or from their own personal explanations about it, but rather these men, ( Biblical Writers ) were born along, or carried along by the Holy Spirit of God .....They then spoke and or wrote down what the Holy Spirit had given to them. Thus these men gave us the Word of God.
We must remember, to appreciate what was just said, that Peters comments just prior were about the importance of the Word of God in the lives of his readers. And, that he was going to do everything he could to ensure that they would have the Word of God to nourish their lives with.
In all of the above verses, here's a final closing thought. I thank God for His Word, and it's ability to bring light and life to darkness and death. And, I thank God that I, we, can pay attention to what He is saying. It's a good thing for us to be paying attention to God of course. And the blessing is, that God can speak into our lives, into our hearts, and guide us when we are in darkness.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Reminding and being awake......
2 Pet 1:12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.
2 Pet 1:13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,
2 Pet 1:14knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.
2 Pet 1:15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.
In the above verses, Peter explains his intention to remind the readers of what they already knew, and were actually established in.
He also believed it was the right thing for him to continue to stir them up by way of reminding them. He went on to talk about his own coming death, and his determination to make sure they would always have a reminder of the truth.
The fact is, as stated here, is that there is tremendous value in simply being reminded of what we already know. And, as a faithful Pastor, Peter was going to remind his readers, and continue to remind them.
Peter had also been told by the Lord that he was going to die soon. He called it shortly, and used the metaphor of a tent for his body. The Bible does speak of our physical bodies as being temporary, like a tent would be to someone, you don't normally live in a tent, but rather in a permanent home. These bodies are like tents for our souls, and we have an eternal body waiting for us in heaven.
Peter was also going to be faithful in his ministry right to the end. He says 2 Pet 1:15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.
This means, that he was dedicating himself to making sure that the flock of God would always have a reminder of the truth of Jesus Christ, even after his death.
After being saved, Peter entered the ministry of Jesus Christ, and taught and preached the Word of God. That is what he gave himself to. And, even while alive, he was thinking of the future, and of the importance of the Word of God for those who would be living after his death.
All of that makes a real statement about the importance of the Word of God. But, the thing that is mentioned a couple of times, is this issue of being reminded and then being stirred up through that reminder.
What happens to us, is that we can grow settled if you will, and need to be stirred up, or awakened to the truth. So, hearing the Word of God can have that effect upon our lives, of waking us up from from sleep. The word stir was also used to speak of arousing the mind, and rendering service to Jesus Christ.
May we have the same mind as Peter did regarding the Word of God, and not grow weary of it, but benefit from giving ourselves to it, and receiving it with an open and humble heart.
In Jesus name, amen...
Pastor Bob Grenier.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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