Lent 2
Devotional
Pause Before The Pulpit
Personal Reflections For Pastors On The Lectionary Readings
Mark 8:31-38
What a difference there is between the early Peter, in this Gospel Lesson, and the later, more mature Peter, who wrote last week's Epistle Lesson. Early Peter saw no need for suffering -- at least no need for Christ to suffer. The later, mature Peter, saw value in suffering -- and especially Christ's suffering for our sins. What a difference the cross and the resurrection can make in a person's outlook on life!
Since the Lenten season is intended to be a time for personal reflection and sorrow for sin, let's look at two statements in this text that can be helpful in this process. In so doing, perhaps we can tell if we are more like early Peter, or late Peter.
The first statement, which had to have pierced Peter's very being, is that of verse 33: Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. On the surface, it looked as if Peter meant well by what he said and maybe he did. Perhaps any of us, put in the same situation, would have said the same things in reaction to Christ's words about his future suffering and death. Who can blame Peter for getting upset with Jesus for talking this way? Peter knew full well that Jesus could avoid such experiences and deliver himself from any peril. Therefore, Peter assumed the role of authoritarian and tried to put Christ in his place. But it didn't work, did it?
What Peter failed to take into account was the fact that he was dealing with the Son of God who has ultimate authority over everything. Peter did not look at the big picture. He only saw the here and now and what impact Christ's words were having, and would have, on Peter's life. All too often we are guilty of the same, narrow-minded approach to looking at life. We see the here and now and don't like the way God is seemingly dealing with things (or failing to deal with things, as we might sometimes imply). So we assume the role of authoritarian and try to tell God what to do. Big mistake! For in times like that, we have failed to consider who we are dealing with, and that he has ultimate authority over all things. Is Jesus saying to you, today: Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things? If so, humbly confess your arrogance and step out of the way so God can carry out his perfect plan in your life and in the ministry of your church.
The other statement for consideration is that of verse 38 and is closely related to verse 33: Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Peter's rebuke came out of embarrassment over his Lord's words. He couldn't accept what Jesus was saying, for it was foolishness to him, so he tried to stop Jesus from saying anything further about suffering and death.
At times, we too find our Lord's words difficult. Sometimes they just don't make sense. Other times they seem too harsh. We would probably deny it, but if the truth be known, we are, at times, ashamed of him and his words. We want to assume the role of authoritarian and tell God the way things are going to be, whether in our own personal life or in the life and ministry of our church (or the church at large).
May God have mercy on us in these times, even as he had with Peter. Jesus saw through Peter and recognized that it was really Satan who was trying to hinder God's will from being carried out in his suffering and death. He also sees through us and probably finds the same to be true. Let us thank him for his patience with us and ask for his forgiveness of our arrogance, for help to deny ourselves, and for a willingness to lose our life, so that in Christ's will we may find our life, even as Peter did.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for those times when I have tried to tell you what to do. Please be patient with me and help me to die to my selfish desires and ideals. Lord, as I lose my life in you, thank you that you help me to find it. May I never again be ashamed of you or your words, but boldly proclaim them for your honor and glory. Thank you! Amen.
Romans 4:13-25
Whenever I read about the faith of Abraham, I am ashamed of my own lack of faith. What an incredible man of God he was, to simply take God at his word, as unbelievable as that word was to human reason. As a result of that faith, God credited to him righteousness far in advance of (yet in view of) the cross. How does your faith compare to that of Abraham?
How important it is for us to keep in mind that Abraham's faith was in relation to God's Word. It wasn't faith in a miracle, or merely faith in an invisible God, but faith in the words of an invisible God who could perform miracles. Let us never lose sight of the fact that our ministry is, first and foremost, a ministry built around the Word of God and faith in that word. If we don't have his word, our churches are little more than social clubs. If we have his word, but have no faith in that word, our worship and ministries in the church are little more than the meaningless activities of a dead religion. How is your faith in God's Word?
I love verse 13: ... the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. What an outlandish promise! If any of us told a farmer in our congregation that he was going to inherit the world, he might think the stress of ministry had fried our brains! However, God's promises never have to make sense to us. They are God's promises, not ours. Therefore, they are God-sized promises that we can't even begin to comprehend. And, because they are God-sized, only God can fulfill them, meaning we will have no clue as to how he will do it.
What made this promise to Abraham even better was that it came not through the law (such as, "If you do everything I tell you, then, and only then, will you inherit the world"). No, the promise came to Abraham through the righteousness of faith. In other words, "Just believe and the promise will come to pass."
We know the significance of this for our salvation, which is, of course, Paul's main point in this text. The promise of salvation and all it contains (forgiveness of sins, removal of the debt of guilt, eternal life, and the like) does not come to us through the law (such as, "If you obey me perfectly I will give you all these things"), but through the righteousness of faith! In other words, believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! (Acts 16:33). Salvation does not come through faith in miracles, or merely faith in an invisible God, but faith in the WORDS of an invisible God who works such a marvelous miracle in the life of every believer in Christ.
Faith is not limited to the realm of salvation only, however. There is also the realm of God's provision, which calls for faith as well, and is where Abraham's faith began. I don't know about you, but I find it a lot easier to trust God for salvation, than to trust him to provide for me. Don't get me wrong, I know he cares, for his word promises that; but it is easier for me to doubt his promises of provision than it is for me to doubt his promise of salvation.
Abraham's righteousness did not come out of faith in God's Word with regards to a cross and a resurrection. He didn't have a clue about those things, which are essential for our saving faith today. Abraham's righteousness came out of faith in God's Word about descendants, land, nations, kings, and a son -- all of them being temporal things that God cared very much about. Now we are not saved by believing that God can provide for us financially, but since we are saved through faith in Christ (the greatest miracle we will ever experience!) can we not believe that he will provide for us financially? Oh, how I pray that God will strengthen my faith in this area and that he will do the same for you, if you too are struggling with doubts over his promises to provide for your temporal needs.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your powerful word that is full of one great and precious promise after another! I thank you that my life, my purpose, my calling, and my ministry all revolve around your word. Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief, especially in the area of your promises to provide for me. Give me a faith like that of Abraham that I might experience the fulfillment of your promises in your perfect timing. Thank you. Amen.
What a difference there is between the early Peter, in this Gospel Lesson, and the later, more mature Peter, who wrote last week's Epistle Lesson. Early Peter saw no need for suffering -- at least no need for Christ to suffer. The later, mature Peter, saw value in suffering -- and especially Christ's suffering for our sins. What a difference the cross and the resurrection can make in a person's outlook on life!
Since the Lenten season is intended to be a time for personal reflection and sorrow for sin, let's look at two statements in this text that can be helpful in this process. In so doing, perhaps we can tell if we are more like early Peter, or late Peter.
The first statement, which had to have pierced Peter's very being, is that of verse 33: Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. On the surface, it looked as if Peter meant well by what he said and maybe he did. Perhaps any of us, put in the same situation, would have said the same things in reaction to Christ's words about his future suffering and death. Who can blame Peter for getting upset with Jesus for talking this way? Peter knew full well that Jesus could avoid such experiences and deliver himself from any peril. Therefore, Peter assumed the role of authoritarian and tried to put Christ in his place. But it didn't work, did it?
What Peter failed to take into account was the fact that he was dealing with the Son of God who has ultimate authority over everything. Peter did not look at the big picture. He only saw the here and now and what impact Christ's words were having, and would have, on Peter's life. All too often we are guilty of the same, narrow-minded approach to looking at life. We see the here and now and don't like the way God is seemingly dealing with things (or failing to deal with things, as we might sometimes imply). So we assume the role of authoritarian and try to tell God what to do. Big mistake! For in times like that, we have failed to consider who we are dealing with, and that he has ultimate authority over all things. Is Jesus saying to you, today: Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things? If so, humbly confess your arrogance and step out of the way so God can carry out his perfect plan in your life and in the ministry of your church.
The other statement for consideration is that of verse 38 and is closely related to verse 33: Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Peter's rebuke came out of embarrassment over his Lord's words. He couldn't accept what Jesus was saying, for it was foolishness to him, so he tried to stop Jesus from saying anything further about suffering and death.
At times, we too find our Lord's words difficult. Sometimes they just don't make sense. Other times they seem too harsh. We would probably deny it, but if the truth be known, we are, at times, ashamed of him and his words. We want to assume the role of authoritarian and tell God the way things are going to be, whether in our own personal life or in the life and ministry of our church (or the church at large).
May God have mercy on us in these times, even as he had with Peter. Jesus saw through Peter and recognized that it was really Satan who was trying to hinder God's will from being carried out in his suffering and death. He also sees through us and probably finds the same to be true. Let us thank him for his patience with us and ask for his forgiveness of our arrogance, for help to deny ourselves, and for a willingness to lose our life, so that in Christ's will we may find our life, even as Peter did.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for those times when I have tried to tell you what to do. Please be patient with me and help me to die to my selfish desires and ideals. Lord, as I lose my life in you, thank you that you help me to find it. May I never again be ashamed of you or your words, but boldly proclaim them for your honor and glory. Thank you! Amen.
Romans 4:13-25
Whenever I read about the faith of Abraham, I am ashamed of my own lack of faith. What an incredible man of God he was, to simply take God at his word, as unbelievable as that word was to human reason. As a result of that faith, God credited to him righteousness far in advance of (yet in view of) the cross. How does your faith compare to that of Abraham?
How important it is for us to keep in mind that Abraham's faith was in relation to God's Word. It wasn't faith in a miracle, or merely faith in an invisible God, but faith in the words of an invisible God who could perform miracles. Let us never lose sight of the fact that our ministry is, first and foremost, a ministry built around the Word of God and faith in that word. If we don't have his word, our churches are little more than social clubs. If we have his word, but have no faith in that word, our worship and ministries in the church are little more than the meaningless activities of a dead religion. How is your faith in God's Word?
I love verse 13: ... the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. What an outlandish promise! If any of us told a farmer in our congregation that he was going to inherit the world, he might think the stress of ministry had fried our brains! However, God's promises never have to make sense to us. They are God's promises, not ours. Therefore, they are God-sized promises that we can't even begin to comprehend. And, because they are God-sized, only God can fulfill them, meaning we will have no clue as to how he will do it.
What made this promise to Abraham even better was that it came not through the law (such as, "If you do everything I tell you, then, and only then, will you inherit the world"). No, the promise came to Abraham through the righteousness of faith. In other words, "Just believe and the promise will come to pass."
We know the significance of this for our salvation, which is, of course, Paul's main point in this text. The promise of salvation and all it contains (forgiveness of sins, removal of the debt of guilt, eternal life, and the like) does not come to us through the law (such as, "If you obey me perfectly I will give you all these things"), but through the righteousness of faith! In other words, believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! (Acts 16:33). Salvation does not come through faith in miracles, or merely faith in an invisible God, but faith in the WORDS of an invisible God who works such a marvelous miracle in the life of every believer in Christ.
Faith is not limited to the realm of salvation only, however. There is also the realm of God's provision, which calls for faith as well, and is where Abraham's faith began. I don't know about you, but I find it a lot easier to trust God for salvation, than to trust him to provide for me. Don't get me wrong, I know he cares, for his word promises that; but it is easier for me to doubt his promises of provision than it is for me to doubt his promise of salvation.
Abraham's righteousness did not come out of faith in God's Word with regards to a cross and a resurrection. He didn't have a clue about those things, which are essential for our saving faith today. Abraham's righteousness came out of faith in God's Word about descendants, land, nations, kings, and a son -- all of them being temporal things that God cared very much about. Now we are not saved by believing that God can provide for us financially, but since we are saved through faith in Christ (the greatest miracle we will ever experience!) can we not believe that he will provide for us financially? Oh, how I pray that God will strengthen my faith in this area and that he will do the same for you, if you too are struggling with doubts over his promises to provide for your temporal needs.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your powerful word that is full of one great and precious promise after another! I thank you that my life, my purpose, my calling, and my ministry all revolve around your word. Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief, especially in the area of your promises to provide for me. Give me a faith like that of Abraham that I might experience the fulfillment of your promises in your perfect timing. Thank you. Amen.
