On 5-5-13, 1 Peter 1:3-16 or 1:3-12 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Living Hope

Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-16 or 1:3-12

International Sunday School Lesson

May 5, 2013

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

                                                                        

Without out a doubt the words we are studying in our scripture were written to encourage the recipients of this letter.  We read this in Peter’s own words 1 Peter 5:12a, “I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.  Stand fast in it.”

That really is a summation of what we are reading today.  In today’s scripture we see Peter encouraging his readers, his testimony about their hope of salvation and finally his call to action.

Another thing he did though was to remind.  In our roles reminding is something we do so often that perhaps we forget how necessary it is for ourselves.

Have you ever considered that words such as Peter’s that tell us what we have to look forward to might help even years later after being reminded of this rather than trying to impart that truth when the grief of a trial is occurring?

I for one know that I am not as prepared for what lies in store had I been more self-controlled as Peter reminded.  What’s more, I know I am not alone.  People every day come to faith in “rocky places” but they quickly fall away when trials come along.  Not so, as you know from this parable of the Sower from Matthew 13, is the seed in the good soil.

We not only need to concentrate on those new to the faith but the established as well.  Really that is why Sunday School is so important especially when it involves more than showing up.  Preparation by the student is just as important as it is for the teacher.

But Peter is talking of more than that in verse 13 when he said, “prepare your minds for action.”  He is talking about a through involvement by you a disciple of Christ.

It is not enough that we go to Sunday School and Church.  We have to actively improve ourselves by looking less and less like the world.  We have to be involved in our faith outside the church and I firmly believe the more holy we become the more success for the kingdom we will help bring about.  Accomplishing what Peter writes in the next chapter, “being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

I don’t know about you but I don’t think we are rising to that level if all we do is show up once in a while. Just a friendly reminder for you and me!

For Discussion:

1.      Read all of 1 Peter

2.      Notice the not included 1 Peter 1:2 which clearly shows the Trinity

3.      Discuss why Christians lose hope like anyone else

4.      Discuss the proving of faith in 1:7

5.      When considering 1:8 consider John 20:29

6.      With regard to 1:13 according to the NIV the Greek word for action “is a graphic call for action.  In the language of the first century it meant that the readers should literally gather up their long, flowing garments and be ready for physical action.”

7.      Discuss how you might remind other Christians

5-12-13:   Sure Hope aka Equipped with Hope 2 Peter 1:2-15, 20, 21 or 1:4-14

5-19-13:   Active Hope aka Hope through Stewardship 1 Peter 4:1-11

5-26-13:   Patient Hope aka Hope in the Day of the Lord 2 Peter 3:3-15a, 18 or 3:1-15a

6-2-13:     Worship and Respond aka Holy, Holy, Holy Isaiah 6:1-8

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 4-28-13, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8-17 or 2:1-3, 9-17 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as The Lord Will Triumph aka Hope Comes from God’s Grace

The Lord Will Triumph

 Aka

 Hope Comes from God’s Grace

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8-17 or 2:1-3, 9-17

International Sunday School Lesson

April 28, 2013

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

Of course a passage such as the one selected for today’s lesson cannot be taken all by itself, you know you have to read all of 2 Thessalonians 2.

Also with regard to extra reading, I would encourage you to also read my commentary on this blog for the 3-17-13 lesson as so much of what Christ said regarding this event(s) is discussed in the scripture I talk about there.

This is such an intriguing chapter isn’t it?  All this talk of the coming of Christ, deceit, rebellion, the man of lawlessness doomed to destruction, who sets himself up as if he were God.  That someone is holding him back for now but eventually that he will be allowed to emerge only to be easily destroyed by Jesus at His return.  But during the interim this man of sin will deceive many and God will, even as Young’s Literal Translation writes, “send to them a working of delusion for their believing the lie”.

Wow!  Where do you begin?  You can see the stress that Jesus put upon understanding the power of the deceit that will be occurring so it is important in my opinion that when we read teaching on this chapter that we question it and say MAYBE what they say is right.  I don’t care what their reputation is, what their length of service or career is or their intentions.  In this case only trust what God said!

What I will say on the chapter is that I see not just an antichrist I see antichrists with an s.  I see the spirit of the antichrist.  Think of it in the sense of the sentence, “There was a spirit of joy in the room when the good news of their engagement was announced.”

I see multiple people, no, multiple doesn’t do it, I see this as showing the preponderance of people who hear what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3), and they like it and they promote it and this is what I believe is the rebellion named in verse 3, called the falling away in some translations and known as the Apostasy.

At just the right time, as everything always is in God’s planning, he who now holds back the man of lawlessness will be taken out of the way and then this “son of destruction” will be revealed. 

How exciting and mysterious and terrifying all at the same time!  How comforting to know that God has it all mapped out.  Does it matter that we figure out who the man doomed to destruction is?  No, because that can get you into trouble because you could be wrong.  Satan isn’t new to this game.  Always remember that.  Does it matter if there is a literal temple such as mentioned in verse 4?  No, because the same word in the original Greek language is the same as the word for the temple within us and what we see in the rebellion is the same for the plural as it is the single.  Does it matter who I think is holding this all back?  No, though I am confident I am right, it doesn’t matter for many reasons but let’s just say God is the authority behind it all.

What really matters is that people be warned and encouraged by this entire chapter.  Then nothing will fool them and they will not wander from the path because they were warned not to believe something they see or hear just because it is palatable or even miraculous because Jesus warned them it isn’t the easy way--that is Satan’s way.

For Discussion:

1. Discuss the signs of the falling away
2. Discuss if God has already sent or is sending the powerful delusion
3. Discuss that in order for it to be a falling away it has to come from within the church not without
4. Discuss how people have built up religions and cults around these issues
5. Discuss how people have taught with certainty who is or who will be the antichrist
6. Discuss how teaching one thing and then being proven wrong is damaging to the Kingdom.
7. Read other versions of the Bible when considering verse 13
8. Discuss that what was taught the Thessalonians was what we are to stand firm to today

5-5-13:     Living Hope 1 Peter 1:3-16 or 1:3-12

5-12-13:   Sure Hope aka Equipped with Hope 2 Peter 1:2-15, 20, 21 or 1:4-14

5-19-13:   Active Hope aka Hope through Stewardship 1 Peter 4:1-11

5-26-13:   Patient Hope aka Hope in the Day of the Lord 2 Peter 3:3-15a, 18 or 3:1-15a

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 4-21-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as The Lord Will Return or Living with Hope

The Lord Will Return

 Aka

 Living with Hope  

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

International Sunday School Lesson

April 21, 2013

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

There is great consistency within the Bible, in fact you and I rely upon that infallible part of God’s word so that we can better understand what we are studying, how we are to live and what we should expect.

Just as Jesus in His words talked about the end of the age so does Paul as he refers to it as the Day of the Lord.  Paul is talking to the Thessalonians but it applies very clearly to us because that day has not yet come.  I know that is about as obvious a statement as one could make but just like the Thessalonians people today fear dying but Christians need reminding that they have hope unlike the world.

Our faith rests upon Christ’s resurrection because even if we were to die like Christ we will be resurrected.  When? Paul calls it the Day of the Lord and Jesus in John 6 referred not it just once but four times as the “last day.” 

Jesus told us in Matthew 24 that “all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”  And Paul said “According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever”.

Paul said we should encourage one another with this news.  My goodness, talk about an understatement!  But just as Paul had to remind the Thessalonians we need reminding of our hope and the remaining reason for his stressing it was because of the big one Jesus stressed in Matthew 24 and the one I stressed in my 3-17-13 commentary --DECEIT.  It is referred to in today’s scripture as “peace and safety”.

People have been fed a reinvented gospel that lulls people into a false sense of security that Jesus clearly warned against as does Paul here.

So being aware of that you can be on guard and prepared; confident that when He comes you’ll be ready and waiting!

For Discussion:

1.       Read Matthew 24

2.       Read my commentary for the March 17 lesson on this blog

3.       Discuss how the world and those in it will be surprised when this happens but Christians should not be

4.       Discuss the consistency of God’s word

5.       Share other examples from the Bible where a matter can be studied in different places within the Bible

6.       Discuss the fear and the hope

7.       Share examples of those though near death sharing their hope

8.       Discuss things that Christians should be aware of similar to this “peace and safety”

4-28-13:   The Lord Will Triumph aka Hope Comes from God’s Grace 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8-17 or 2:1-3, 9-17

5-5-13:     Living Hope 1 Peter 1:3-16 or 1:3-12

5-12-13:   Sure Hope aka Equipped with Hope 2 Peter 1:2-15, 20, 21 or 1:4-14

5-19-13:   Active Hope aka Hope through Stewardship 1 Peter 4:1-11

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 4-14-13, Acts 2:1-16 or 2:1-13 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as The Lord Sends the Spirit or The Holy Spirit Comes

The Lord Sends the Spirit

Aka

The Holy Spirit Comes  

Acts 2:1-16 or 2:1-13

International Sunday School Lesson

April 14, 2013

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

“…about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:41a

The impact that the event from today’s Scripture had was a giant jump start to the beginning of the church.  Acts 2:43 tells us, “Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.”

Just like last week when I talked about the dramatic lengths God will go to in showing His purpose so on that day was this demonstrated. 

God had just sacrificed His son and as we celebrated last week raised Him from the grave.  News such as this must go viral to use our modern vernacular for what happens so often today with the Iinternet.

In dramatic fashion all those from foreign lands were able to hear the Good News and when they returned to their own lands spread what they had discovered.

It is really amazing to consider isn’t it that a story that no man would make up about His God could be spread in a manner that he wouldn’t think up either? 

There were no years of fledgling missionary work that would slowly add to their number but one moment accomplished it in an orderly fashion.  Plenty of hard work would follow but the spark was lit not in foreign land but in God’s Holy City, the city of David amongst the Jewish people who had put His son to death mere days before.

Just as the Jews were celebrating that day the giving of the law to them through Moses so should we celebrate that day at Pentecost when God started a covenant with us.  Just as the Jews were told then that day with Moses after being freed from bondage that they were to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests, so should we be as we spread the good news that we have been freed from death.  If not with the dramatic fashion of speaking in the language of whoever we meet then with the passion that the man of action not words Peter displayed!

For Discussion:

1.       Discuss why the crowd reacted the way they did.

2.       Discuss why one would make a statement about the disciples being drunk if they understood in their own language what they were saying.  What would make them think they were drunk?

3.       Discuss the dramatic things of God you may have experienced.

4.       Discuss speaking in tongues today in comparison to this.

5.       Discuss this large conversion of people.

6.       Discuss the tongues of fire.

7.       Discuss how many react when they are made fun of for professing Christ just as these disciples.

4-21-13:   The Lord Will Return aka Living with Hope 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

4-28-13:   The Lord Will Triumph aka Hope Comes from God’s Grace 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8-17 or 2:1-3, 9-17

5-5-13:     Living Hope 1 Peter 1:3-16 or 1:3-12

5-12-13:   Sure Hope aka Equipped with Hope 2 Peter 1:2-15, 20, 21 or 1:4-14

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved