Young People’s Blog

“Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye….For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:13-14, 18).

In our verses today we have two sides of the Christian life. We are told to be “ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1), and this means doing good to others whenever we have the chance. No one will harm us for doing that, for this world likes those who are ready to help. For the same reason they were quite happy for the Lord Jesus to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and raise dead people to life again.

However, we may suffer “for righteousness’ sake,” as the next verse reminds us. This is because doing what is right brings in God’s claims. Sometimes we must refuse to do something because it is not right, or we may do something because it is right, and in both cases the world may not like it. We may remind people that they are sinners before God, and they will not like to hear that. We may refuse to get involved in the affairs of this world, or join its organizations, clubs, etc., and they will not like that either. But then we are walking in the same steps as the Lord Jesus, for He also suffered for righteousness’ sake, all the way to Calvary’s cross.

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from [stay away from] fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

There is a difference between a stranger and a pilgrim. A stranger is someone who is in a place where he is not at home. Perhaps some of you have been in a foreign country where the customs were different and where people spoke another language. It might have been nice for a visit, but you felt like a stranger there. Maybe people noticed that you were different, and asked you where you were from. A pilgrim, however, is someone who is on his way home. He is not at home, but he knows where he is going, and he has a plan that will take him home.

As Christians, we are both strangers and pilgrims. This world is not our home, but we are definitely on our way home. Because of this, Peter asks the believers to whom he was writing to stay away from fleshly lusts. Fleshly lusts are what our old sinful nature likes to do, and they only hinder us in living for God’s glory. A pilgrim does not get “sidetracked” by things around him; he is anxious to get home, and he does everything possible to get there.

“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:1-2).

There are some big words in our verse today, such as malice, hypocrisies, and guile. However, instead of my telling you what they mean, perhaps you can look them up this time, if you do not already know these words. They are all negative things that should not be part of a Christian’s life. The Bible uses all of these words quite often, so it is good to know the meanings of them.

In order for us to grow as Christians, we need to get these things out of the way. To illustrate this, we can talk about a flower or a vegetable garden. If you have small plants that you wish to grow, it is important to pull out the weeds first. If we do not get rid of the weeds, they will absorb the nutrients and moisture from the soil, and the good plants will not grow properly.

We are all like babies in this verse, for in the sense that Peter speaks of milk, we never outgrow the need for it. We need the Word of God all our lives, for as Christians, we should never stop growing.

“The queen of the south (the queen of Sheba)…came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh…repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here” (Luke 11:31-32).

The queen of Sheba came mainly because she had heard of Solomon’s riches and wisdom; the people of Nineveh needed forgiveness and redemption, for they were wicked people. The queen of Sheba went away more than satisfied; she was overwhelmed by what she heard and saw, for it was far more than she expected. (You can read about her in 1 Kings 10). The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s message, when he warned them of coming judgment. They were no doubt greatly relieved not to have come under God’s judgment.

If we come to the Lord Jesus, we too will be more than satisfied, for He is made unto us “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). We all need salvation through His finished work on the cross, but He is much more than this to us. All the wisdom we will ever need to live for His glory down here is found in Him, and His glory will far exceed all that we could possibly imagine. Truly, “a greater than Solomon [and Jonah]” was on earth at that time, and is now here, by faith, for us.

“I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Luke 10:21).

We all like to be considered smart, and it is nice to have a good brain. In natural things our minds can do many things, such as solving math problems, inventing useful things, enabling us to write a good book, painting a good picture, or playing a musical instrument well. All these things are good and right in their place.

However, a good mind is not any special advantage in spiritual things, for intelligence in the things of God comes through the heart and the conscience, not through the mind. Yes, we need a mind in order to read the Bible and understand the words, but it is the Spirit of God that makes us understand the meaning of the words. The wisest people in this world cannot understand the Bible, or come to know God, without the Spirit of God helping them. But the simplest believers who come in faith can understand, because the Lord reveals it to them.

“Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head” (Luke 9:58).

During the time of His earthly service, the Lord Jesus did not really have a home. Yes, it is clear from the Bible that he lived in Capernaum for some time, and perhaps at other times He may have rented a house, but much of the time He had nowhere to go and rest. When others went to their homes, He, the Creator of this world, often went to the Mount of Olives and spent the night there.

When some wanted to follow Him, He reminded them of this, showing that there was a price to be paid for following the One who was “despised and rejected of men.” All down through the ages, Christians who have wanted to follow the Lord Jesus have sometimes had to leave their homes and live without any certain place to spend the night. During the time called the Reformation, in the 16th century, those who were leaders often lived in small huts or cabins in the dense forest, where no one could find them. But it was worth it, for they were following in the steps of their Master.

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth…might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

“The word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:25).

When we trust the Lord, sometimes He tests our faith. He does this by allowing us to go through some serious problems, and perhaps we think that He is not listening to us, or caring about us. But all this is precious to the Lord, for He does care, and He knows all that is happening to us. We can safely trust Him, for as we read in our second verse, His Word endures forever.

An older brother used to remind us that “the Lord may TEST our faith, but He will never DISAPPOINT our faith.” This is true, and when we trust Him even when things are not going well, it pleases Him. When we get home to heaven, He will reward us for our faith in Him.

Sometimes gold is tested with fire, because there are people who make “fake gold.” But this fake gold will not stand up in the fire. However, real gold will withstand the hot fire, because it is real. It is the same with our faith. It endures even when things are not going well, because we know that the Lord will not fail us.

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [living] hope…to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

In this world, we sometimes have to make reservations for things like restaurants, hotels, plane flights, etc., and it is important to do this. But have you ever made a reservation and then, when you reached the place, found out that they did not have it? This has happened to me several times. I carefully reserved something, only to find out that someone had either lost it, or forgotten to mark it down. These things happen in this world, for people sometimes make mistakes.

In our verses today, we have an inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us. That does not mean that the inheritance is heaven, but rather that the reservation is up there. Do you think anything can go wrong with a reservation like that? No, for God never makes mistakes, or forgets to do something. That inheritance is for sure, and we will get it.

The inheritance is all created things, and the Lord Jesus is going to receive it, but then He will share it with us. We can look forward to this wonderful reservation!

“Be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” (2 Peter 3:14-15).

While we are waiting for the Lord Jesus to come, there is a right attitude and a right way for us to live. We are to walk in peace, and to lead good, morally upright lives.

But we are to remember that if the Lord does not come right away, it’s because He wants more to be saved, as we had yesterday. Several years ago, at a Bible conference in another country, someone said, “We have been hearing about the Lord’s coming for a long time. Why doesn’t He come and take us home?”

I asked the audience, “How many here were saved in the last ten years?” About half of the hands went up. Then I asked, “How many here were saved in the past twenty years?” About three-quarters of the hands went up. Then I said, “I was waiting for the Lord to come more than twenty years ago. But if He had come then, most of you would have missed out on being saved! Aren’t you glad He waited for you?” They all agreed.

Again, let us be patient, as the Lord is, and be willing to wait for more to be saved.

“Behold, the husbandman [farmer] waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).

The Lord knows how bad this world is getting to be, and He is not indifferent to it. But He is waiting for the “precious fruit of the earth.” What is this? He is waiting for more people to be saved. He is like a farmer who plants his seeds, or has his fruit trees, and he anxiously looks for a good crop. He may have to wait a long time, until the proper rains come, and the fruit matures.

The gospel has been going out for nearly 2,000 years now, and millions have been saved. Yet the Lord is still waiting, for His house must be filled. How many will it take? We do not know, but if the Lord can have patience and wait, surely we can too. It will be worth it to see more people in heaven!