May 4, 2008
A passage in Exodus 17 comes to mind. Read vv. 1–7. And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Here we have ”Thou shalt smite the rock.” We know the Rock. But it’s marvellous: so early in the Scriptures and so very early in the history of a redeemed people, their faults are made manifest. They had crossed the Red Sea, and sang praise to God, but it wasn’t long before they were at Marah and complaining about the bitter water, and then murmuring for meat, and then grumbling that they were thirsty. What a history! But what a response! God gave them water by having Moses smite the rock. Here we have a picture of Calvary. Oh, how Christ was smitten of God! Through that smiting there was made a perfect redemption and atonement. When on that cross, out of the Lord’s body flowed blood and water. Blood for soul cleansing and water for moral cleansing. Christ gave living water, it is wondrous to remember what our Lord endured: all of His suffering, which we can see, all His smiting, which we can’t see. Well may we worship our Saviour and Rock; well may we lift our hearts and adore Him and give Him glory!
hymn 15 – O what a gift the Father gave,
prayer
What is a cross used for? The Lord was crucified on a cross. Do you think it was a nice thing? No, it would have hurt very much; the nails piercing His hands and feet are only one example of this. We can read about the crucifiction in John 19. Read v. 16. If we look at the Old Testament, we would find that they were to kill people by stoning. But they didn’t stone the Lord. If they did, He would not have shed His blood the way He did. Crucifying came from the Romans, who were in power at that time. God planned that so the Lord would be crucified instead of stoned. God has a plan for each one of you, as well; but you must be willing to do it.
so did the Lord stay on the cross all night? No, He was buried in a new grave. But He rose from the dead after three days and ascended to Heaven. One day, He will return to earth to take all those who are saved up to Heaven. Some of you may remember when our brother Steve Labelle put a few different paperclips on the table here and held a magnet above them. Some of the paperclips were attracted to the magnet, while others weren’t. This is because some of the paperclips were made of steel, like the magnet. As Christians, we have a new nature, just like the Lord’s; when He comes, we will go to meet Him in the air. We will be gathered around Him in Heaven, singing a new song of praise and worship. Here on earth, there are many different languages, but in Heaven we will all speak the same language. And so we can be looking forward to the Lord’s coming!
the key thought of is a warning against false teachers.The opening verse is written to those with “like precious faith.” *Peter calls himself *“Simon Peter.” Simon is the name the Lord used when addressing Peter’s old nature. We need to realize that we can fail too, just as Peter did. As we see in the Old Testament, looking at Israel, man has a propensity to fail. How we need to avail ourselves of the principles here!
Then, Peter calls himself a servant; in Darby, it is a bondman. We have a perfect example of a bondman in the Lord Jesus Christ. A bondman is one who is under another, someone who is bound to be obedient. And we see on Lord’s Day mornings how the Lord was faithful unto death. His example of obedience must have inspired those who followed Him. Then also, Peter calls himself an apostle. Both are positions of responsibility. If Peter had a business card, it would be nicer to put “apostle” than “bondman,” but “bondman” is what he puts first, not on a business card, but in the inspired word of God. When we know Peter’s background, we may say he was not always a faithful servant, but who better to write this than one who has failed and been restored.
Peter is writing to those who have “like precious faith.” Precious is a word Peter likes to use for important things. Here, faith means The Faith, the truth that we believe. Do we value it as Peter did? Think of all the effort that went into being a sincere Jew; but all that did not give a clear conscience. No wonder Peter calls it precious. He can have peace. Our faith is based on God’s righteousness, not our own. That is how we can be accounted righteous. We have been justified, we’ve been made what we weren’t. We had come short of the glory of God, but He has clothed us with His own righteousness. He is precious to us as well (I Peter 2:4).
All this brings us to grace and peace. Both do not fit into the Jewish system: they had law, not grace; and works, no peace. Because of the Lord’s work, we can have both grace and peace multiplied to us. God isn’t looking for anything from us. Peter displayed this peace when he spoke to the Jews in the beginning of Acts. He had denied the Lord himself, but because of this peace and grace, he could say to them, “Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied” (Acts 3:13). Interestingly, Peter says, “through the knowledge of God.” To the Athenians, He was the “unknown god.” Through the Old Testament, God revealed Himself more and more over time, but it is not until He is risen from the dead that we find He is “my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).
Hymn 229 — It passeth knowledge! that dear love of Thine,
Prayer