Walking The Path Of HolinessThe Apostle Peter in writing this marvelous letter to the dispersed Christians of his day who were under serious persecution because of their faith lets us in on a course of operation engineered from the foundation of the world by God to kindly lift those who are trusting in Jesus His Son, to a level of understanding by His Word that will set them on a course of “Walking on the path of holiness. Listen and learn as Pastor: Landis teaches.
Old Testament Scripture Reading: Isaiah 54:1 – 14 (NASB)
Isa 54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.
Isa 54:2 “Enlarge the place of your tent; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your pegs.
Isa 54:3 “For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations, And they will resettle the desolate cities.
Isa 54:4 “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; Neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
Isa 54:5 “For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.
Isa 54:6 “For the LORD has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” Says your God.
Isa 54:7 “For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you.
Isa 54:8 “In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,” Says the LORD your Redeemer.
Isa 54:9 “For this is like the days of Noah to Me; When I swore that the waters of Noah Should not flood the earth again, So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, Nor will I rebuke you.
Isa 54:10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” Says the LORD who has compassion on you.
Isa 54:11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.
Isa 54:12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, And your gates of crystal, And your entire wall of precious stones.
Isa 54:13 “And all your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will be great.
Isa 54:14 “In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you..
New Testament Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:22 – 2:5 (NASB)
1 Pet 1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 1 Pet 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God. 1 Pet 1:24 For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 1 Pet 1:25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ABIDES FOREVER.” And this is the word which was preached to you. 1 Pet 2:1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 1 Pet 2:2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 1 Pet 2:3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 1 Pet 2:4 And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, 1 Pet 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Transforming Power Statements: #1) Every since Jesus completed the work of “Redemption” by His un-blemished, perfect ministry on the cross to the Father on our behalf, we {believers} have been capable of learning directly from God via His Word, which is instruction to us how to walk on the path to true holiness. #2) Our spiritual growth in the things of God is directly proportional to the feeding we are receiving from His rightly divided word and our fellowship with Him in prayer and communion, and with each other and the world in everyday living. #3) Due to our awareness of the kindness and grace of the LORD we are also capable of being prepared as a “royal priesthood” to share the realities of the mercies, graces, and gifts that the LORD has available for all who are willing to embrace Jesus The Christ as their personal savior, and to become a part of His Body as a living stone in the House of God.
