Signing Off With Grace and Peace

Transcript

GR 1954
05/22/2016
Signing off with Grace and Peace
I Peter 5:12-14
Gil Rugh

We have come to the end of our study of the 1st epistle of Peter. So if you would, turn to 1 Peter, chapter 5. Peter wraps up what he will refer to as a brief letter. It is brief compared to what could have been written but it is full of information, profitable truth that the Spirit of God directed him to write. The focus on this letter you remember has been on the trials and suffering that God’s people go through in the world. They are to be expected. Obviously there are times or seasons when we have less trials and when we have more trials. These Jewish’s believers as we have noted have trials coming from different directions because of the fact that they are Jewish. There is a natural animosity from the Gentile world toward them and then they are not only Jews but they are Jews who have converted to Jesus Christ and so fellow Jews now consider them enemies and so they are going through suffering. But the letter is recorded here so all of God’s people can appreciate that suffering is part of God’s plan for us. It is a refining process and he has reminded us that we shouldn’t be discouraged because God is in control.

He has referred to suffering. And just some statistics, 15 times in the letter so as we have it with five chapters that would average out to about three times a chapter. Along with this he has had a strong emphasis on the glory of God, the glory that God has prepared for us. So the glory that is His will someday be shared with us because we will live in the presence of His glory, in glorified bodies and that reminder helps keep us from getting discouraged because there is a great contrast. We are going through trials and suffering but we are on our way to unending glory. So the glories offset the suffering. We have noted other passages like when Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he didn’t think the suffering of this present time was worthy to be compared with the glory. Also he wrote to the Romans on a similar vein. So remembering the glory and he mentioned ‘glory’ ten times in this letter. It is something that will sustain us with that hope, the hope of glory during the most difficult trials.

Another emphasis in the letter was on grace. The word ‘grace’ is also used ten times in this letter. We are living in the context of God’s grace. He not only saved us by grace, He continues to work and sustain us by that grace. So it’s not that grace is given to us to bring us to salvation and then we are on our own. But God provides His grace for us every day and we are reminded of that in Paul’s letters as well when God told Paul “My grace is sufficient for you.” And this letter reminds us God’s grace is always sufficient for us. The trials never overwhelm God’s grace. They never reach beyond God’s grace so that reminder again is an encouragement that sustains us.

You note, God doesn’t promise to take away trials and sufferings and difficulties for us as believers during our earthly lives but He promises that His grace will sustain us. His grace will be sufficient for us.

And you know the emphasis on God in this letter is overwhelming. He is mentioned as ‘God’ 39 times in these five chapters and that would be an average as we have it, broken down of almost eight times in a chapter because you know we are not absorbed with the trial. Our focus is on the God that we have and His greatness, His power, His grace, His sufficiency. God is not being defeated. He is not losing, so to speak. Sometimes it could seem and for believers going through intense trials when persecution arises and it seems that Christians are losing, they are getting squeezed out, they are getting beat down, we are reminded, we serve the living God. When the dust settles we come to the end, God is sovereign and that all powerful God is the God that we serve. He is in control and the trials, the difficulties, just help to remind us of that fact.

As Peter comes to the end of the letter now he closes out in a rather standard way for the letters of the time just like our letters fallow a rather normal format so letters of the New Testament did. Peter’s letter closes out in a similar way as other New Testament letters. He will first give a word of commendation to the man who is going to act as his representative in bringing this letter to the people who are addressed by the letter. That man will be Sylvanus. We will talk about him in a moment. He will also give a summary statement of what he has said in the letter as a concise reminder. With that there is a word of exhortation and then some greeting to the people he is writing to. So we might say the standard, formal ending that you would expect in a letter of New Testament times. This is a letter directed by the Holy Spirit. Peter is directed in the writing of this by the Spirit. The Spirit uses the normal format of the time just He used the language of the time but every word in it carries significance.

So you see we pick up, look at verse 10: “After you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory.” You see, as he moves in to the closing verses, 12-14, he is pulling together what he has said. The things I have mentioned to you. Here he mentions God, he mentions their suffering, he mentioned God’s grace, and he mentioned the glory that we are going to. We are called to His eternal glory and He is doing a work of perfecting, confirming, strengthening and establishing. So it is not like the sufferings, the trials, the difficulty are frustrating God’s plan. They are part of God’s plan. Now in some ways I can say, “Well, I can see just how that is but I am told what He is doing with it.” We sometimes have these statements, “I can’t see any purpose in this. Well at least we know the overall purpose.” The sovereign God is working to perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us in preparing us for the eternal glory that He has called us to. “Well couldn’t He have done this another way that involved less suffering?” Well He is God and we are not. He does what is right, what is best, working all things for our good and His glory. He will be the One that will have dominion forever and ever.

Thus we come to verse 12 and we are going to close out the letter. At first he mentions the man who will carry the letter and in mentioning him he will commend him to the people so that he gets a good welcome because those who receive this letter from Peter obviously already have the respect for Peter and appreciation, be looking forward to the letter. But this man bringing the letter is just not the delivery boy. He is the man worthy of their respect, honor and appreciation as well. He is a man who is used of God in ministry himself. His name is Sylvanus. He is the same man who is called Silas in the book of Acts. Sometimes we have someone named William, Bill. We are talking about the same person. Here Sylvanus is Silas.

Back up to the book of II Corinthians chapter 1. Look at verse 19: “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us, by me and Sylvanus and Timothy.” So he is writing to the church at Corinth. The man who joined with me in preaching the Gospel to you at Corinth Sylvanus and Timothy in particular.

Back up to Acts chapter 18. Acts chapter 18 records the time when Paul, with his companions, brought the Gospel to the city of Corinth and you will note in Acts chapter 18, verse 5: “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia.” He goes on to talk about what they did and then the ministry they joined in. Well in writing to the Corinthians he refers to them as Sylvanus. In Acts, the historical account he is called Silas. It is comparisons like that that help us understand who this man is. We have more appreciation because then we can appreciate this Silas in the book of Acts and you can stay in the book of Acts for a moment if you want and appreciate something of his importance and his faithfulness because Peter is writing this letter 13 years after this event in Corinthians. So you see something of the faithfulness over time.

In Acts 15 you have the Jerusalem conference where Paul and others went to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles who were headquartered there because there is an issue over the relationship of the law to the Gospel and some Jews who professed faith in Christ were saying, “You must believe in Christ. He is the Messiah. He is the Savior. His death and resurrection, but that is not enough. You must also keep the law, be circumcised.” That is a major issue. They come to the Jerusalem conference to resolve it and at that conference in Acts 15 as you come down to verse 22. After they make the decision and it is settled there. The keeping of the law is not necessary but that doesn’t mean that Gentile believers have to go out of their way to be offensive to Jews. But the law is not part of the Gospel and keeping the law is not necessary. Now Jews have the freedom to eat what they want to eat and not eat what they don’t want to eat as Gentiles do. So it will go both ways. The Gentiles won’t be able to tell the Jewish believers, “Well, you can’t keep, you know, you have to eat pork.” They don’t have to eat pork but you are not forbidden to eat pork and Paul elaborates on that.

Verse 22: “Then it seemed good to the apostles and elders with the whole church,” here at Jerusalem, “to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.” So here we see this Sylvanus who is going to be carrying Peter’s letter a dozen or so years later is also one of the leading men in the church at this time called Silas who is going to be carrying the letter from the leaders at Jerusalem to Antioch.

Down in verse 32 we are told that “Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.” So Silas, Sylvanus, this man is an outstanding man. He is recognized in the early church as a leader. He is a gifted prophet in his time when God is still revealing Himself because the Scriptures are not complete and he is used in his preaching to encourage and strengthen the brethren.

At the end of chapter 15 when Paul is preparing for his second missionary journey and you remember the conflict over John Mark whether he should be able to go along with them or not because he had left Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey, went back home. Paul was not ready to take him on the second missionary journey. So Paul and Barnabas split and Barnabas will take John Mark with him and go a different direction. Come down to verse 40 of Acts 15: “But Paul chose Silas and departed, being committed by the brethren to the grace of God.” So Silas becomes Paul’s traveling companion on this second missionary journey and he will journey with Paul to Greek cities as he is Paul’s companion. He will go to Philippi, he will be to Thessalonica. He will go to Berea, he will go to Corinth as Paul carries the Gospel to Greece in Europe. So we find him mentioned.

You are in Acts, come down to Acts 16, verse 19 and here you are at Philippi and you have Silas joined with Paul in the ministry at Philippi and the suffering that went there after they cast a demon out of a young fortune teller. “When her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place and said ‘These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews.’” And you are aware that Paul and Silas were beaten. They are put into prison into stocks and there they are at midnight singing, praising God and the prison is opened and the Philippian jailer and his family are saved. Silas is part of all of this. He will go on with Paul in chapter 17 to Thessalonica. Then he will go with Paul to Berea after Thessalonica. So he joined with Paul and suffering and opposition follow them along the way until they come down to Corinth as we saw in chapter 18. And he demonstrates faithfulness. He demonstrates a man committed to serving the Lord in the face of persecution, being beaten, being imprisoned. He goes to the next city but that follows him as well.

You know it is easy to get discouraged and say “Well you know, maybe I am not cut out for this. We are not getting much results compared to the opposition we are stirring up.” But Silas proves himself a faithful man. He is joined with Paul when Paul writes letters to the Thessalonians, both I Thessalonians and II Thessalonians includes Silas in the opening of the letter because the people there would have known and benefited from his ministry along with Paul.

After their ministry at Corinth as we had in Acts chapter 18, Silas or Sylvanus disappears from the scene. He is not mentioned but then we come to Peter. Some 13 years have passed and here he is with Peter. Come back to I Peter chapter 5 and we find here is a faithful man and he serves perhaps in the shadow of what we may call brighter lights, more well-known personalities. We are not nearly as familiar with Silas or Sylvanus as we are of Paul and Peter and then others that were used in writing Scripture like John, the Apostle but he is a man being used of God and he is a faithful servant. Here he is in verse 12: “Through Sylvanus, our faithful brother.” So there is a testimony of his life. What has he been doing over the last dozen years? Being faithful. I take it serving the Lord wherever the Lord moved him; however the Lord chose to use him. In some ways he was a servant for Paul because he definitely functions in the secondary position, obviously but he is joined there with him in ministry.

Here he is not the writer of the letter. The letter is well known as the letter of Peter but he plays an important role. Who is going to see that his letter gets out? Sylvanus. You know just commit this to someone who may get distracted on the travel or decide if someone opposes him along the way that I don’t think I am going to follow through with this. The letter ends up in the dead letter file. I mean it goes nowhere. Little did he realize how important his faithfulness was! Just concentrate on being faithful today. Well, it doesn’t seem like I am doing that much. Can’t anybody carry the letter? Remember this is someone who is one of the leading men in the church as we saw in Acts 15. He himself is a gifted prophet. There are a lot of people who could carry a letter but it takes a faithful man to see that it gets done and the Lord is using him and we benefit from it because that is part of what the Spirit used to preserve.

So you don’t know what the outcome of what you are doing is. Sylvanus didn’t know, “Well, I am going to carry this letter and this is going to make a big difference because in 2,000 years people in a country I know nothing about are going to be studying it.” He didn’t know that. All he knew was, this is the opportunity and task the Lord gave him. He does it faithfully and the Spirit of God chooses to commend him here, “Our faithful brother.” And Peter puts it in there. “I so regard him.” What a great testimony. Here Peter is being used to write an inspired letter and Peter is recognized in the church for his leadership, obviously. He is a dominant figure through the first dozen chapters of Acts until Paul begins his missionary journeys and he said, “I want you to know, here’s my opinion of Sylvanus.”

So you see opening the door for people who may not have had opportunity to benefit. They don’t just see him. “Oh, you’ve brought the letter, thank you.” They ought to welcome him as a man who is faithful and he will have a ministry there obviously, I would assume among these people, encouraging them, strengthening them as well as bringing them the letter from Peter.

“I consider him.” This word is an accounting word. We have it, “I so regard him” you have in your margin as “I consider” logizomai. It is an accounting term you know, thorough consideration. This is my evaluation of him. My commendation.

So through Sylvanus, our faithful brother. That doesn’t mean Sylvanus wrote the letter but he is the carrier of the letter. “I have written to you briefly.” It is brief in light of the subject. I mean how much more could be written and we can appreciate that you know, we have our hands full trying to master what we have. We are thankful that God has chosen to preserve exactly what we should have, what He intended us to have. There is no more needed. There is no less needed and so this letter, would it have helped if the Spirit had directed him to write volumes? You know John, in his Gospel as he concludes and that’s a much longer writing but he says “You know we could fill the earth with books about Christ and His ministry.” But who could have the time and the ability to take it all in.

So he has written briefly and again the Spirit of God has directed in the writing of this letter so exactly what is here. What has he done? “I have written to you briefly exhorting.” It is an exhortation, an encouragement. A word related to the name for the Holy Spirit, the paraclete. This form of word in this context he is talking about encouragement. The Holy Spirit is the One who comes alongside to encourage, to help. “I have written to encourage you, encourage you not to get discouraged in your trials, to conduct yourself properly in the trials.” And it is an exhortation.

You know through this letter he has used the imperative mood. That is the mood you use to give commands or a forceful exhortation but sometimes we think of command negatively. It’s not negatively. It is something that you must do. It is important for you to do. Thirty-five times in this letter the imperative is used. He is exhorting them. He in encouraging them. He is challenging them. We noted some of these.

Back up to chapter 4, verse 12. You may have some of these commands. Just look in the closing portions of this letter how he has exhorted them. These are imperatives, commands, strong exhortations.

Verse 12: “Don’t be surprised.” Verse 13: “Keep on rejoicing.” Verse 15: “Make sure none of you suffers as a murderer, evildoer,” a command. Verse 16: “Do not be ashamed,” another command. In verse 16: “Glorify God.” Down in verse 19: “Entrust their souls” here, a command. You come down to chapter 5, verse 5, you younger men “Be subject to your elders.” In verse 5: “Clothe yourselves with humility.” Verse 6: “Humble yourselves,” another command. Verse 8, two commands: “Be sober” the second one, “Be on the alert.” Verse 9: “Resist him,” referring to the devil. You come down we get to verse 12: “Stand firm” and then verse 14, “Greet one another.” All of these are exhortations. This is a forceful letter and that is just in this portion we have looked at. There are about 25 more of those preceding these in the letter. Some of these things we must do. That faithfulness so he has written exhorting, encouraging, testifying, bearing testimony to what? Testifying that this is the true grace of God; this message that I brought to you. This is the message of God’s salvation, His grace.

We started out back in chapter 1 talking about God’s grace. “These were ones chosen. They are the elect sojourners of the diaspora.” And they were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. At the end of verse 2: “For grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. It is God who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again.” He has reminded them that the sufferings that we endure are based in the sufferings that Christ had and that encourages us that we have a Master who suffered in bringing us our redemption and we have entered into the grace of that salvation and now that grace sustains us in our suffering.

So in chapter 2, verse 21: “You have been called for this purpose.” Well the God who called us to salvation in Christ has been called to endure suffering like Christ did. We have been called to be followers of Christ, to manifest His character when we deal with the kind of opposition that was directed toward Him.

So the encouragement. This is part of God’s plan. This is the true grace of God I have been talking to you about that has brought you salvation and now privileged to be identified with Christ in His sufferings. So we don’t count that as a trial that is to be despised but to be identified with Christ and to handle suffering and opposition as He did, not becoming bitter over it, resentful, looking for vengeance so this is the grace, this is the true grace of God that is to be manifest in those who have experienced that saving grace.

Come back to chapter 5. Exhorting and testifying. This is the true grace of God. Remember that grace begins at salvation but it continues on through our whole life and even in suffering and trial and persecution we are being given an opportunity to what – experience the grace of God as Paul did when God said, “My grace is sufficient for you,” because I am magnified with your ministry by your suffering. Well Paul says suffering is good because I am called to have greater impact in exalting the God that I serve. This is the true grace of God.

God’s whole pattern for us is grace. He is going to instruct and give a command here, the end of verse 12: “Stand firm in it.” That is a command, a firm command, aorist comparative command which is the more forceful way to give a command. You must stand firm in it, in this grace.

Come back to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 2. Look at verse 8, a reminder of the grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works.” We talked earlier today about the result of the work of salvation God has accomplished in our lives. Now we live our lives pleasing to Him in obedience to Him. “These are good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” So we don’t walk like we used to walk. We walk now manifesting the character of God. Sometimes that walk is through trials and difficulties but God has laid out the course for us and how we are to proceed.

Come over in Ephesians chapter 6 and look at verse 10 where he exhorts them “to be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” Remember in chapter 5 earlier Peter said “our adversary the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour and destroy.” So we do “battle not against flesh and blood but against rulers, powers, world forces of this darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies.” What is going on? The human instruments of the devil that are often used to bring suffering, difficulty and trial, they are not the problem, they are not the ultimate foe. It is the devil who is using them. It is a spiritual battle. So what does he tell? “You take up the full armor of God,” verse 13, “so that you will be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm.” And now Paul gives the same command that Peter does, “Stand firm therefore.” The same word, the same form. “Stand firm.”

You know we remind ourselves when an attack comes, when battle comes, “stand firm.” Not everybody does. Not every believer does and that is so important. Why does the Spirit of God say to “stand firm?” We sometimes act like we have forgotten two-thirds of what we have learned in the Word when difficulty or trial comes. The evil day will come. Verse 13 said, “Take up the full armor of God so you will be able to resist in the evil day.” It is not like well the evil day will never come. There will be days that will be evil days when the devil will launch attack, when the devil will try to unsettle us, make us unstable as Paul talked about.

Just back up into chapter 4 of Ephesians, verse 14: And the result, “We are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves, carried about by every wind of doctrine, the trickery of men, craftiness and deceitful scheming.” What has preceded that – we come to maturity, to stability. You know when our kids grow to maturity we want them to understand there are certain things that you don’t do even if your friends do. You want them to develop stability, firmness in their lives so they are not just led about by this and by that. That is a characteristic of immaturity. That is why trials, difficulties are brought into our lives, why? Because that provides an opportunity for us to be tested, to be strengthened. That is why Peter is telling these people after the letter that is focused on suffering and trial, what? “You must stand firm.” Because when trial and suffering come well now I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to think. It is clear. “Stand firm.”

Come back to I Peter chapter 5, verse 13: “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you sends you greetings. So does my son, Mark.” Greetings. That is the first word in Greek order in verse 13. We have it laid out a little in English, “Greetings” here. It is from those with Peter. “She who is in Babylon.” I take it is a reference to the church that is in Babylon, chosen together with you. Peter started this out in chapter 1 remember we tried to clarify the word ‘chosen’ there. “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God.” Literally it is the “elect sojourners of the diaspora.” Here, these are the elect. It is just the word ‘elect’ with the preposition ‘with’ on the front. So they are chosen or elect with you. “She who is in Babylon.” So he is writing to Jewish believers scattered in other places. He sends greetings from the church in Babylon.

Now if you have done some study in Peter and read some commentaries there are different views. The most popular view is that Babylon is a code name if I can say it that way for Rome. I don’t hold this view but those who hold this view and it is held by teachers I know that you are familiar with. Peter is referring to Rome as Babylon because since he is in Rome and writing he doesn’t want to cause problems for the believers in Rome so he calls it Babylon. I don’t think so. I think we have to be careful with coming up with ideas of why Babylon doesn’t mean Babylon. Here is where you go when you start not taking things literally. This is from another commentator and he has some good material. I have referred to him earlier but he doesn’t believe in a literal interpretation of Old Testament Israel in the New Testament church. So he says, “Babylon can hardly be the ancient city of Babylon in Mesopotamia which is prominent in the Old Testament. For by the first century it was a small and obscure place and there is no evidence that Peter or Mark ever visited there.” Well, we don’t have a lot of evidence for a lot of their visits. You know I realize church history but you get back there you are going on traditions and I don’t take that as very much.

“It is best to understand Babylon as a reference to Rome just as in Revelation 16, Revelation 17 and Revelation 18.” Well wait a minute. Now Babylon is not Babylon in Revelation either. “It is not that Peter was trying to disguise his location.” So he has a different reason for why it shouldn’t. Some say he was disguising his location but he doesn’t think that is what he is doing. “Rather he is carrying through the imagery of the church as the new people of God, the true Israel which he has maintained since the word diaspora in 1:1.” Well we looked at that. There is no support for making the diaspora in 1Peter 1:1 the elect sojourners of the diaspora to refer to anything other than Jews scattered outside the land of Israel. But you see you begin to take well the diaspora wouldn’t be the would it? It is only used what, three times? In the Gospel of John it clearly means Jews outside the land. Jesus calls it the diaspora when He leaves the land of Jerusalem to go to Jews outside the land, but then when James writes to the 12 tribes of the diaspora that is just a reference to the church. When Peter writes to the elect sojourners of the diaspora he is just writing to the church because the church is the new Israel and that is just like this. Babylon is not literal Babylon because all of this is figurative because he wants to connect the church and in the Old Testament the enemy of Israel was Babylon. And since the church is the new Israel he calls Rome which was the present opponent of the church Babylon.

All of this, you can build any kind of story. That is the great thing about fiction. You can just build your own story. This is scholarly fiction but it is still founded on sand. And of course they say, “Well it is because by the first century Babylon didn’t amount to anything.” There is no evidence there was a church there. But you have another scholar and he is a reliable scholar because we agree. He says, “The place of writing was Babylon. Some feel the mention of Babylon in this epistle is a symbol for Rome but there is no reason to ignore the literal interpretation of this word. At this point in time Babylonia was the center of Judaism outside the land.” It is also the place where the Babylonian Talmud was developed and Jewish teachers and writings on Old Testament Scripture that would come subsequently.

And since Peter was the apostle to the Jews, the circumcision it makes perfect sense that he would have traveled to Babylon after he left the land. He literally wrote the letter from Babylon, the center of Judaism outside the land. You get two totally different viewpoints. One says well there was nothing in Babylon. The other scholar says well, yes, that was the center of Judaism outside of Israel. I think you take it literally. I take Babylon to be Babylon here. I take Babylon to be Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18 as well. So just a note.

I assume when he says, “She who is in Babylon,” he is writing from the church. Used feminine form so referred to it as ‘she,’ referring to the church at Babylon sending a greeting. It is true Peter was married. Some say this was probably Peter’s wife and he is saying, “My wife sends you greeting as well,” but I think more probably he is sending greetings from the church and this church reminds them he is writing to Jews scattered outside the land of Palestine. He’s at a Jewish center in Babylon which would have been primarily a Jewish church at this period of time. Naturally Peter would have been there since he focused his ministry to the Jews. He sends greetings from that church as Paul does in his letter when he writes them in a certain city. He will send greetings from that city, the church in that place, the believers there. And the greetings also come from his son, Mark.

Mark is first mentioned in Acts chapter 12, verse 12. Peter after he had been imprisoned by Herod Agrippa in Acts chapter 12 for preaching the Gospel and Herod wanted to do the Jews a favor so he imprisoned them but remember the story. In the night an angel came. The jailers are put to sleep and the gates are opened supernaturally. Peter finds himself outside the prison and so verse 12 when he realized what had happened, Acts 12:12 “He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark where they were gathered together.” You find a little humor in it. He is knocking at the door and the servant girl recognizes his voice when she asked, “who’s there?” And instead of opening the door she runs back in to tell them that Peter is at the door and Peter is left standing out there, knocking.

Here is John Mark. This is the first mention of Mark. His name wasn’t like our first name, last name. It is John who is also Mark. One would have been his Jewish name, one would have been his Greek name but we refer to him often as John Mark to identify him. This is his first reference. He is a cousin of Barnabas. You remember on Paul’s first missionary journey Paul and Barnabas were the key individuals. John Mark, a young man was taken along with them in Acts 13 to travel with them. But he returned. If you are still in Acts 12 you can look in Acts chapter 13, verse 13: “When they came to Pamphylia,” the end of verse 13, “John left them and returned to Jerusalem” and then they are ready to do a second missionary journey as we saw Paul didn’t want to take John Mark with them because they may not make it. He probably doesn’t have what it takes to endure, whatever but Barnabas does and Barnabas probably saw potential in Mark also, they are related.

If you want to turn over to Colossians chapter 4. Sometimes it is just interesting to know some of the connections that go on that almost mention in passing. In Colossians chapter 4, verse 10 and this is one of Paul’s prison letters, his first Roman imprisonment as we refer to it when he wrote his prison letters Colossians being one of them and Paul says who is with him, “Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner sends you his greetings;” another one of those who were with Paul; also Barnabas’ cousin, Mark. There we are told that Mark was a cousin to Barnabas so you can appreciate Barnabas who is ready to give him a second chance not only perhaps because he saw that perhaps could appreciate the difficulty of traveling with Paul because Barnabas did go through the first missionary journey and he is ready to do a second but Barnabas is also a cousin. Maybe the family relationship, knowing Mark better than Paul would have because he would have been a family member but at any rate he is a relative.

You see here Paul has good things to say about Mark so he has grown, he has matured. He doesn’t identify Mark as that failure. He wasn’t ready to commit to taking him on his second missionary journey but that doesn’t mean God was done with Mark and he will refer to Mark positively in Philemon, verse 24. It is only a one chapter letter, another letter from Paul’s first Roman imprisonment and he will also refer to him.

Go to II Timothy. This is Paul’s second Roman imprisonment, his last one. Paul was arrested, taken to Rome. We leave him there at the end of the book of Acts. This is his first Roman imprisonment. Evidently he was released from that imprisonment as we try to put the account together. Then he was subsequently, later rearrested, imprisoned at Rome and that is when he writes II Timothy. He is anticipating not being released here but being executed. But in II Timothy chapter 4, verse 11: “Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you for he is useful to me for service.” And that is a word of commendation. Another companion of Paul’s while you are in this context in verse 10 who had been mentioned as a companion of Paul one other occasions. It was in that context we could have looked at in Colossians chapter 4, Demas was there and a faithful companion of Paul in that first imprisonment but you know what? Verse 10: “Demas having loved this present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” But you know Paul has good things to say about Mark here at the end of his life. He referred to him positively. Years earlier he refers to him again that way. He has full confidence in Mark.

One commentator said Mark biography “offers hope for all those who have failed.” When you fail it doesn’t mean you remain a failure. We see that with Peter. He denied the Lord three times and yet we are reading his letter. So we appreciate the grace of God in our lives.

Come back to I Peter chapter 5, I Peter, chapter 5. Wraps it up. Another, the last command. “Greet one another with a kiss of love.” And again, it’s another command, the final one in this list of commands, the kiss of love. It was to be an expression of the bond they have, the love bond they have for one another as members of God’s family.

Come back to I Peter chapter 1, verse 22: “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere, un-hypocritical love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart for you have been born again.” We have been born again into God’s family. We are family. In our physical families there is a bond and we have a love. God expects that to be present from the heart and to be demonstrated.

So the greeting ought to be an expression. In Biblical times, as is true in parts of the world like among the Arabs you see it, they greet one another with a kiss on one cheek or sometimes on both cheeks when they meet; usually men with men and women with women but it is a greeting expressing a bond that they have. The expression may vary but we ought to be warm in our relationship with one another. We are not in a school together. We are just individuals who come together to study and do certain jobs. This is different than a school. It is different than a job. This is a family that God has brought together, His family. Remember it is the household of God, I Timothy 3.

So when he says, “Greet one another with a kiss of love” there is to be expression among ourselves so we don’t forget we are bound together as one another and we express it whether it is as they did with that kiss, the hug or the warm handshake. Some of us are more reserved than others but you know we can’t be reserved in our love and we ought to be willing to show that and it reminds us.

Finally, “Peace be to all of you who are in Christ.” You know there is no peace. Isaiah chapter 48 verse 22; it is repeated in Isaiah 57:21 “There is no peace says my God to the wicked.” But for us “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” as we looked at in our study earlier today in Romans chapter 5, verse 1 and because of that, Philippians chapter 4 says “The peace of God will stand guard at our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

So that peace that He can bring, that calmness to a heart. Peter desires that for them. It would be their experience. He had said at the beginning of the letter at the end of verse 2 of chapter 1: “May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” The trial, the tribulation, the persecution, the difficulty doesn’t mean the peace of my heart will now become turmoil. No. It stands guard at my heart. I am protected. Jesus said in John 14:27, be prepared for His impending crucifixion. “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

You know He brings peace to a heart. The world can have relative peace. That is why prosperity sometimes makes it difficult to reach people. Jesus Himself said “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Life is good and because the external things are good and comfortable we have a relative tranquility. Not always. Sometimes you find those who have much are consumed with drugs of one kind or another. True peace of heart can only be produced by God. Remember the “Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace;” joy and peace coming out of the heart.

That is what he desires for them. It is great to have this as his prayer and desire for them in going through trials and he has reminded them that you can expect more trials ahead. These aren’t out of the ordinary things but through it all I want you to experience peace because it is our portion as those who are in Christ and when we take these truths together we can have that confidence, that assurance that brings peace.

You know what happens? We have the command to stand firm in this grace of God. When we don’t we get blown all around and then all of a sudden our minds are unsettled, in turmoil. Then we have that queasiness and I feel like I am unraveling. What’s wrong? I am shaken.

You know that is where we have gone through a letter like this. You know, I don’t know what evil may come from the evil one but I know the truth that the God who is sovereign overall has called me to Himself. I belong to Him. His grace is sufficient for me. Now remember, He doesn’t give you tomorrow’s grace today. That is why Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow’s trouble.” In that sense that doesn’t mean I don’t make plans within limit but I can’t control tomorrow. So Lord You are in control of today for me. I am going to walk this a step at a time. Tomorrow is in Your hands. I will go to bed tonight and get a good night’s sleep and tomorrow I will get up trusting You to direct my steps for the day and I want Your peace to stand guard at my heart. That is what He says is my provision. “Peace be to you all who are in Christ.” That includes you, that includes me and that is His blessing.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for the riches of the salvation we have in Christ. Lord, they are ending. We grow to appreciate them more every day. We grow to appreciate the trials, painful and unpleasant though they may be, persecution that may come, opposition that may come. We see Your sovereign hand molding us, refining us, maturing us so that we might stand firm in Your grace and experience Your peace of heart in every situation. May that be true of us as we face the week ahead of us we pray in Christ’s name amen.