Question: Have you ever thought through what Scripture means by the patience/longsuffering of God on behalf of sinners?

Text: “. . . because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water” (1 Peter 3:20).

Context, Context, Context: Peter, the apostle of hope, was writing in the A.D. 60s, a mere 30 years after the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, to Christians dispersed over what is much of modern-day with one overarching theme: endure suffering as a Christian for the sake of the truth.

Teaching: Peter is teaching in this verse about how the gospel was heralded via Christ proclaiming the good news (the gospel) in Noah’s day. How? Through his servant Noah. Through Noah’s witness. Through Noah’s life. The ark was a picture of Christ. All eight who were in the ark were in Christ. The rest of the creation were left to God’s justice manifested via the flood that drowned those who did not repent and believe. Eight persons were saved; the rest were dealt with justly. Eight received grace; the others received justice. No one received injustice.

The phrase “while the ark was being prepared” (v. 20) demarcates the period of time in which people had opportunities to believe the gospel but refused.

Encouragement: God is patient with us sinners. He is longsuffering. He sends heralds of righteousness and truth-tellers like Noah. How do we respond? How do most respond to Christ? And yet, we are to go with this message that Christ is patient, longsuffering, and came to save all who repent and believe. Why would anyone refuse this offer from God?

Bottom line up front: The Link Between Substitution and Gratitude

Text: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Pt 3:18).

Context, Context, Context: Peter, the apostle of hope, was writing in the A.D. 60s, a mere 30 years after the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, to Christians dispersed over what is much of modern-day with one overarching theme: endure suffering as a Christian for the sake of the truth.

Teaching/encouragement: Peter keeps the focus on Christ in verse 18 above. Why? To show suffering Christians their supreme model is Christ. Christ suffered, too, but immeasurably more than we do. He (the righteous) suffered for us (the unrighteous). How? Via the cross. Public scoffing, stripping of his garments, slander, mockery, beating, and ultimately crucifixion. He, the righteous, suffered for us, the unrighteous. Jesus’ mission? To bring us unrighteous ones to God, but in a saving way rather than in the way of condemnation. In short, for all who are saved, it’s because of the suffering servant, the Christ of God, our substitute. We are not the heroes; Christ is. Our duty is now to endure, and to do it in a way that demonstrates our gratitude for the one who was and is our substitute. 

Text: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).

Question: How many of us have begun a training regimen but later abandoned it? Perhaps we took up a different regimen. Perhaps we relapsed into habitual patterns. There’s no paucity of justifications we might proffer for not seeing our training through—not enough time; life events; too busy; too difficult, etc. The list could go on.

Context, Context, Context: The book of Ezra hinges on Cyrus’ degree that the elect exiled Jews be able to not only return to their nation but also that the temple be rebuilt in Jerusalem. God was keeping his covenant promise (Ezra 9:13). The years were the 450s-430s B.C. This was the period of time of these exiles that Nebuchadnezzar had captured to taken to Babylon (modern-day Iraq).

Teaching: Ezra was a priest. He took his vocation seriously. It wasn’t “a job.” It was a calling. He loved the Lord and the Lord’s people. So, what sort of divine training regimen did Ezra inculcate? It’s right there in verse 10: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” It was trinitarian:

• A heart to study
• Obedience to do, not just say
• A teaching ministry

Encouragement: First, he was a student of the Lord. Second, he practiced what he preached. Third, he taught and shepherded others to do likewise. Why would anyone take issue with such a divine training regimen. Press on, soldier. Do things the right way, with the right motive, and teach all who will learn.

1 Peter 3:15 was the verse under exposition. The theme was “Reasons to Believe.”

Text:

³¹ Do not envy a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,
³² for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are in his confidence.
³³ The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. (Pr 3:31-33)

When Solomon is instructing his son in this section of Proverbs, Solomon delivers some negatives. That is, he tells his beloved son what not to do. In v. 31 he tells him not to envy a man of violence. Solomon’s father, David, wrote similar wisdom: “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!” (Ps 37:1).

It’s interesting when you step back and look at how the minds of father and son, David and Solomon, ran parallel at times. Both were brilliant men; both were kings; both were wealthy; both were massively faithful at times and egregiously sinful at other times. Both were writers who penned much of the wisdom literature of the Bible. And both wrote much about how to be godly amidst a wicked environment, about how to remain unsullied in a environment of hazardous materials and/or personnel.

A recurring theme in the writings of both men is this emphasis upon keeping one’s distance from devious, jealous, envious people. Solomon calls them in Pr 3:32 “an abomination to the LORD.” That’s strong language. They’re pictured as those whose paths are crooked (Pr 2:15).

Solomon stresses to his son in Proverbs to seek the Lord’s blessing, not to curry favor with the devious. Why? Well Pr 3:33 is straightforward: “The LORD’S curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.”

Question: Do you recall what Scripture says about what precedes a fall/destruction? Proverbs 16:18 answers that question: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Sadly, that pattern remains largely unbroken. Consider the case of Uzziah in the 700s B.C. He started off well, but his pride soon entered.

Text: “He [Uzziah] set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper” (2 Ch 26:5). If that were the whole story it would be great. But that is not the whole story.

Text: “But when he [Uzziah] was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD is God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense” (2 Ch 26:16). Incense was a duty of the priests. Uzziah was not a priest. Uzziah grew pompous and affronted God’s holiness by treating worship and the temple with a cavalier manner. And God humbles the proud. “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. God out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God” (2 Ch 26:18).

Encouragement: Godly leadership entails serving the people by respecting our proper lanes. That is, none of us is good in all areas. It takes a team. Wise leaders lead well but humbly. Because we should know by now what precedes a fall.

Noticing: White dogwood blossoms overhung the pond’s bank. Small ripples topped the pond’s surface and lapped the banks. Soft light grayed the surface of the water. Cars with drivers pulled up to the gate; the drivers mashed remote controls to open the arm of the gate or otherwise scanned badges and waited upon the arm of the gate to lift. Meanwhile the yellow canoe behind the white dogwood lay upon leaves unnoticed and a white blossom from the dogwood pinwheeled onto the pond’s surface and at least one heart leapt for this swatch of spring. Passersby surfed phones while the white dogwood by the yellow canoe launched pinwheel blossoms onto the water beneath the gray sky. 

Encouragement: One of the evidences of the Christian worldview is beauty. We are drawn to it. We seek it. Think of the cosmetics industry, e.g. Think of plastic surgery. Think of hair dyes and tanning booths and liposuction. There’s no end to which some people will not go to pursue what they desire as beautiful.

I, too, pursue beauty. Usually it’s my favorite regions to hike, or the sound of a good cast as it hits its target when I fish, or when I just notice what has been provided for us to steward. Sometimes it’s just the pinwheeling white dogwood blossom gliding upon perfect pedalled wings upon the surface of the water for a soft landing. One would be shallow to claim it’s all random and/or undesigned, would he not? 

A mentor of mine said to me, “Those that care, will.”

Context, Context, Context: One time I was listening to a podcast during my commute. In the course of that day’s conversation, one made the comment that we ought to leave the park a little cleaner than we found it. That stuck with me. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a clean park. If it has nice paths, bike trails, clean restrooms, enough garbage cans, clean lawns, a playground for the kids, etc. a park can be one of life’s really simple but great beauties. But we’ve probably all been to parks that are quite different—where there’s litter, empty beer cans and Coke cans, trash in the ditches, filthy restrooms, and garbage cans that overflow with rubbish. The grasses grow out of control, and the playground equipment is in disrepair. And you know what happens? People who care don’t go back to such parks. The nefarious people set in, drug users and homeless set up camp, and, well, you know the drill.

Encouragement: “Those that care, will.” What did my mentor mean? He meant that if we’re out for the betterment of a park, a church, a business, the Army, etc., we’ll lead by example. We’ll pick up the litter. We’ll police our area, as we say in military parlance. Scripture teaches the same principle. In the creation mandate, Moses records the following: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). Work it and keep it. In short, wise stewardship. Or as my mentor said, “Those that care, will.”