Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV) Grace is free – to us, that is. However, grace was not free to God. He sent His Beloved, Perfect, Unique Son into the world to live a sinless life and to pay the ultimate price to redeem us. “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Sometimes we see a beautiful, polished cross hanging on a wall, high on a hill or perhaps as a piece of gold jewelry. In reality, the cross is a symbol of the sinfulness and cruelty of man in contrast with the righteousness and indescribable love of Jesus for us. There is no way that we could have ever paid enough money, worked hard enough or done enough good works to earn our redemption. What we deserve is eternal punishment for our sins. We deserve to go to Hell. We deserve to be separated from God forever (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). In spite of our helpless condition, God wants us. He showed His desire by allowing Jesus to die in our place. Under the Old Testament, Passover lambs were to be in perfect health and spotless, the best of the flock. In

“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 2:2-3 NKJV). Babies hunger for milk. While I would prefer a steak dinner, babies need and want simple, easy to swallow and easy to digest food. That is just as it should be. Similarly, it is common to see a new Christian with a fervor to learn more Scripture, to attend every service to learn more and to find other avenues to learn the way of a disciple. Little children have a passion for learning. They drink in information about the world around them, about people and about new ideas. We see it in their curiosity, their play, their talk and their questions (especially the pervasive “Why?”). Perhaps this is one of the ways for which Jesus exhorted us to become like little children (Matthew 18:3). Granted, one should not remain a child forever. Just as we graduate to solid foods, in spiritual terms, we need to graduate to greater things. A lack of growth in our spiritual learning is a sign of worldliness and not spiritual maturity. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV). Every true Christian faces the challenge of living in the world but not being of the world. The Christian does not belong in many of the places where the sinful world abounds. A trip to downtown Nashville with all the bars, night clubs, strip clubs, party vehicles, gay pride events, etc. is not where we belong. Yet, the world thinks that we are the weird ones when we don’t join in. We were born here, but we don’t belong here anymore. We live here, but we are citizens of a heavenly place. We work here, but our duty is to the One who reigns above. We will die here (unless the Lord comes back first), but our eternal dwelling has streets of gold. We are called to live by a higher standard, a heavenly calling. We are not to give ourselves over to the darkness of the sinful world but “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). We are the salt of the earth, but if we stop making a difference, we are of no use and fit only

“Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars” (Proverbs 9:1 NKJV). “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). When one examines some of the wonders of the ancient world, like the pyramids for example, he is reminded that we, who live in the 21st century, are not the only ones who ever accomplished anything. Sadly, there is a supreme arrogance among many modern people who think nothing significant ever happened before the personal computer, the cell phone camera and the Internet. We may have some great technology, but we are the same people we have always been. Let’s go one step further. When we compare our knowledge and wisdom with the most elementary things of God, we find ourselves grossly lacking in every way. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). We have no room for boasting when we look at God. If we really want to know what is truly wise, it is not

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied” (1 Peter 1:1-2 NKJV). The apostle Peter opened his first epistle to Jews who had been scattered throughout the Roman Empire and called them “pilgrims.” Pilgrims are displaced persons. They are strangers, sojourning in a land that is foreign to them. They are away from the home they love and from the place where they truly belong. Christians, too, are pilgrims, sojourning in a strange land. We often sing the song by Albert Brumley, “This world is not my home. I’m just a passing thru.” Paul wrote, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Our real home and citizenship is in Heaven. We live and work in the world with a view to going home with Jesus when He comes back for us. Since we are going home with the Lord someday, we must take care not to get too attached to this world. The Lord has created for us a beautiful world in which to live, work and grow. Yet, this is not our permanent station. Our place in this world only lasts for a few years (contrasted with eternity with God). If we lose

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13 NKJV). Proverbs 23:7 says that as a person thinks in his heart, so is he. Before we can get our lives and affairs in order, we must get our minds in order. Our text above talks about getting our minds focused on the hope of our grace and being fully committed to our work for the Lord. Peter was a fisherman. In his time, fishermen and most other men usually wore two layers of clothing. The outer layer was like a robe, often tied with a sash or a belt. The inner layer was usually a wrap of cloth that would be tied and tucked around the waist. When one would run, and often for work, he would reach down and take the bottom of the wrap, pull it up and tuck it in the waist, essentially turning it into a pair of loose pants. Girding up your loins was an idiom for getting down to business or getting serious about something. The coming of our Lord is nearer than when these words were written thousands of years ago. More than ever, we need to be ready for our Lord to come back. We need to have our minds and our lives focused on our Christian responsibilities. Too often, people take lightly worship and service of

“Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart” (1 Kings 10:24 NKJV). If you are looking for the prime example of wisdom in the Old Testament, there is none greater than Solomon. He lived a life of tremendous influence, wealth, privilege and opportunity. He accomplished great things, including the building of cities, expansion of agriculture, expansion of his kingdom, accumulation of wealth and, of course, erecting of the great Temple in Jerusalem. Those things speak of great success, but what is wisdom? Wisdom is demonstrated in a number of different ways. Wisdom is the ability to solve great questions and understand great mysteries. When two women argued about whose son was alive and whose was dead, Solomon was able to use the compassion he knew was in the heart of the real mother to solve the mystery. The Queen of Sheba came and asked all sorts and questions of Solomon. He was able to answer them all (1 Kings 10:1-3). Wisdom is the ability to apply one’s knowledge to real situations to accomplish great works. The Temple, Solomon’s palace, his stables, the treasure cities and all the works of his realm showed his wisdom (1 Kings 4). Even more, wisdom relates to understanding who you are and where you belong in the sight of God. A wise person understands that all the success, wealth, power and prestige that one might attain is fleeting. We come into this world

Preachers and church members often ask why people don’t seem to be interested in spiritual things anymore. The problem of apathy toward the things of God is not really a new problem at all. The children of Israel who experienced the first Passover, crossed the Red Sea on dry land and ate the manna from heaven constantly complained and wished to go back to Egypt. In the days of Ezra, the people neglected the Temple of God to work on their own houses. In Jesus’ day, the people ate the bread and the fish that the Lord multiplied but had no appetite for the Bread which came down from Heaven. One after another, they went away (John 6:66-69). Jesus must have been heartbroken when He asked His disciples if they would go away too. Peter boldly spoke, “…Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68 NKJV). How much better to fill our souls with the Word of the Lord than to fill our stomachs with food. Job said, “…I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). How hungry are we for the Word of the Lord? We rarely miss filling our bellies at least three times a day. Are we hungry enough to eat and drink from the Word of God at every opportunity? Do we attend each session of our Gospel meetings? Do we attend all of the Bible classes? Do we listen to sermons

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12:41-44) Have you ever heard someone say something like, “If I were rich, I would give a lot of money to the Lord’s work? I think of all kinds of good I would do…”? The question for us is this: Even if you are not rich, what are you doing for the Lord with what you have? Jesus praised the widow who gave the two mites, a tiny amount of money, and He commended her for her generosity. Whether rich or poor, we should give generously. Regardless of our social position, we should give sacrificially. No matter who we are, we should give as an act of loving worship to God who has blessed us with all things. Notice in the incident above that Jesus made no promise that God would multiply her physical blessings because she gave all. Jesus made no promise that her life would be easier, or even that she would have enough

“Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, so as this day” (1 Kings 8:61). These are the words of King Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was wise enough to see that the blessing and security of that great building depended upon the faithfulness and spiritual integrity of those who came there to worship. He told the people to have a perfect heart. How is that possible? Some people think of the word “perfect” as meaning “absolutely faultless.” We all know that we are weak and sinful, and therefore, to aspire to have a perfect heart in that way is a losing cause. That is not what “perfect” means in this passage. A perfect heart is a true heart. We err from time to time, but our hearts are set on pleasing the Lord. Our faith does not waver like a wave of the sea (James 1:6). A true line is a straight line. We are called to follow a straight path (Psalms 5:8) with the Lord. A perfect heart is a pure heart. God is holy and morally unblemished in every respect. He wants us to be holy as He is (1 Peter 1:15-16). We should be so thankful for the cleansing that we have in our Savior. The Temple that Solomon built was amazing and glorious, but it was no more glorious than God’s temple today, His holy people (1 Corinthians 3:16-17;