Hello and good morning. It is an exciting time to be alive. God is doing deep things in the church. It’s a marvel to see the hand of God at work in our generation.

We are a privileged and blessed people. God has entrusted much to you and me in the stewardship of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It behooves us to take advantage of every opportunity and invitation Jesus brings our way. In my journey I’ve missed opportunities and invitations from the Lord. But I am so thankful Jesus did not write me off.

We are way more precious and valuable than that. The Lord is a God of another chance. So, let’s use our next opportunity and invitation wisely and timely, in the grace, help, care and love of Christ.

Change is Here and is Only, Not Going Away, But Accelerating

Change is everywhere. It saturates our culture, workplace, technology, medicine, almost every aspect of life, and some say even our global environment is undergoing change.

And yet with all this change there remains certain constants. Some say death and taxes are the constants for humanity.

But I believe there are two other constants at work – reflected in God’s eternal plan of salvation for you and me.

And those constants are the natural man is destined to die physically and spiritually because of sin, and the spiritual man is destined to live forever physically and spiritually because of Jesus Christ.

You may agree with my last sentence but say, “Drake, the spiritual man is destined to die physically.” But I would remind you of Enoch and Elijah. Physical death was not in God’s original plan – in his hope and desire for man.

You and I are at a very unique time in church history and the plan of God. We can see the great distance the church has covered, the distance yet to be covered, and even peer into the Millennium with greater understanding than those before.

Some say at the end of the Millennium the earth could have as many as four or five or more times the Earth’s current population.

When the Lord unfolds the new heaven and the new earth at the end of the Millennium, those who are alive in Christ most assuredly will not face physical death, but will be ushered into the new place God has prepared for them.

(It appears there will be more who have the constant of the spiritual man – destined to live forever physically and spiritually – than the natural man, by the time God’s plan is completed in this creation. God’s ultimate plan will be victorious and triumph in capturing the greater share of men and women.)

Transiting Dispensations and Spiritual Realm

There are those who in their lifetime transit dispensations, for lack of a better term, and there are those who transit between the earth and heaven.

For example, Noah and his family transited two different dispensations. Noah was called, obeyed the calling, and prepared him and his family (and warned others to prepare) and entered a new period of God’s relationship with man climaxing in the flood, and resettled in a changed earth.

Jesus Christ, the apostles, etc., those born under the Old Testament and its practiced ways of living, transited to the New Testament and spiritual life.

And there will be Christians who transit from the New Testament into the Millennium.

The apostles testify of not only experiencing the new birth, forsaking death – the sinful works of self – righteousness, but the birthing and revelation of Christ in them, experiencing a change in their nature from corruptible to partaking of the divine nature.

The apostle’s testimonies have one thing in common – resurrection to walk in newness of life. When Jesus talked about the resurrection, he was not only referring to the resurrection after physical death, but more importantly, the resurrection from sin to walk in newness of life.

The term resurrection, or its meaning, is used in the Gospels, Acts, Romans and many of the New Testament writings in reference to the new life in Christ. And that’s what Jesus wants for you and me, that we might, in Christ, put the lower nature of our flesh to death to rise and walk in newness of life.

Jesus Christ overcame, through sufferings, obedience, and the Spirit of God, the weakness of the flesh, sins temptation, the world and the devil. The same battles we face except Jesus overcame without sinning.

Jesus is our standard and pattern, the first to fulfill the full counsel of God – the “firstfruit” and “forerunner” of our faith.

(In the future I am planning to do a series on the story of Christ and his journey, as much as we can glean from the Scriptures. As I mentioned in my last post, how can we understand our journey and the teachings of the New Testament if we don’t understand the author and founder of our salvation, Jesus Christ?)

The ancients desired to look into the life story of the coming Messiah, his journey, and how that would unfold in those found in his delight and love. (1 Peter 1:10–12)

We have the record of his journey, the evidence of his journey living within us, so it behooves us to dive deep into what Jesus has for us.

Peter, Spiritual Man in the Making

I would like to explore a few Scriptures with you to show Peter’s journey was not unlike his Savior’s journey, but patterned and fashioned after Christ’s. Peter’s journey was Christ’s journey, and our journey was Christ’s journey.

Remember what Jesus said to Thomas regarding where he was going and “the way” (recorded in the Gospel of John 14:6) “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (NIV)

Jesus in essence is saying, “I am the gospel, I am the good news, I am everything you need me to be, I am the unimaginable and unprecedented, I am all that is necessary for you to complete your journey and finish the race.”

“I have everything you need to apprehend what I have apprehended you for, you do not need to look to the right nor to the left, but keep your eyes, your attention, and your focus on me, and I will accomplish in you what needs to be accomplished to overcome and finish your story well.”

“You will experience a paradigm shift as I begin my work in you, your orientation and heading will no longer be the things of this life and the things of this world, but I will reveal myself to you in such a way and manner you will cleave to me as a wife cleaves to her husband and as a husband cleaves to his wife, and I will birth a new nature and life in you, holding and keeping you firmly in my hand as you go through the process to put off the old and cleave to the new.”

“What my Father achieved in me I will accomplish in you through me.”

***

Notice the similarity between Peter’s journey, as noted in 1 Peter, and Christ’s journey, as noted in Hebrews.

Of Christ:

Hebrews chapter 2, “10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” (NIV)

Hebrews chapter 2 continued, “14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he to shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (NIV)

Chapter 2 continued, “17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (NIV)

Hebrews chapter 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to emphathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.” (NIV)

And Hebrews chapter 5, “7 During the days of Jesus life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” (NIV)

Of Peter:

1 Peter 1:2, “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” (NIV)

1 Peter 1:13–15, “13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy so be holy in all you do;” (NIV)

1 Peter 2:1, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (NIV)

1 Peter 2:11, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” (NIV)

1 Peter 2:21, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (NIV)

(Please note, I will discuss this more in future posts, but the suffering the Scripture is referring to here, and in most other places, is not the suffering Christ endured at Calvary, but the suffering in his personal battle to do the will of his Father and overcome the world, the devil, the weakness of the flesh and temptation.)

1 Peter 3:8, “Finally, all of you, be like – minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” (NIV)

1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” (NIV)

1 Peter 4:1– 2, “1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” (NIV)

***

Please note the recurring theme in the passages I quoted, “Of Christ” – Jesus Christ, a man, subject to the same temptations and pressures of life as you and me, was tempted in all things, and yet, in the temptations he faced, he did not sin.

The sufferings and temptations of Christ refer to his lifelong journey here on earth – before, during, and at the conclusion of his ministry. You and I, and all those after Christ, truly walk in the path that Jesus Christ “pioneered” for us. (Hebrews 12:2)

His life journey insured he would be able to emphathize with our weaknesses, struggles, failures, etc., in genuine and authentic care, delight and love.

Though Christ did not sin, he certainly faced the “pain” of sin’s temptation and is intimately aware the weaknesses of the flesh pose in the face of temptation.

This is part of the journey Christ invited Peter into as recorded in John 21 – to face the “pain” of sin’s temptation – his sinful beliefs and practices – and through Christ by grace in faith, ultimately overcome and be restored.

A journey of repentance, forgiveness, confidence, quietness and trust. A journey only Christ can take you and me on. A journey of restoration to full sonship.

“Of Peter” – Peter testifies of the work of God in his life in a similar way and manner as the author of Hebrews describes Christ’s journey, sufferings and obedience.

Verse two of 1 Peter is jampacked with his testimony. Peter is speaking from the standpoint of a Sage, one who is taking the journey and receiving his inheritance in Christ (in so far as Christ has taken him).

Peter speaks from the place of authority exhorting those in the race to apprehend what he is experiencing and living.

Verse two of 1 Peter is similar to Hebrews 5:8. First, Peter acknowledges the plan of “sonship” God foreknew from the creation of the world there would be those who would be made into Christ likeness.

Secondly, Peter refers to the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit (sanctification). This is the deep work of the Spirit to separate and cleanse man from the sinful desires of the lower nature.

The third and fourth part of this verse, obedience and sprinkling of Christ’s blood, refers to the sanctifying work of the Spirit of God effected through obedience and endurance in suffering.

Obedience implies faith. Obedience is “learned” by those born in the flesh, Jesus Christ being the standard. It requires faith, and faith requires confidence and trust, and those attributes can only be imparted in relationship, testing, and discipline.

Peter’s words and exhortation’s come from the etching of the word of God on the fleshly tables of Peter’s heart – the authority of having the word of God written and manifesting outwardly in the life of Peter.

In 1 Peter, he’s saying, “Look at me and see Christ in me. I am fighting the fight of faith, by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of Jesus Christ.”

“I exhort you to follow me, to endure sufferings and deprivations, to put off the old man and die to those sinful practices that formerly brought life, becoming obedient to the will of God and the moving of his Spirit.”

Blessings, Drake

(NIV) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™