Good morning. Continuing
with his comments about the prophets: it was revealed to them that they were
not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced
to you through those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from
heaven – things into which angels long to look. They were writing for us, not
for themselves. What they were writing about – Jesus' crucifixion and
resurrection – was not for them during their lifetime but was for the Jews in
the first century. Yes, salvation is for us, but we did not come to Christ
based on scriptures from the Old Testament but rather the New Testament (which
were based on scriptures from the Old Testament). The preaching of the gospel
comes through the Holy Spirit. It is not man's words and inspiration, but
God's. Why didn't God just speak to them from heaven? When God did speak during
Jesus' time, they said it thundered. As a result, you are to gird your minds
for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Notice all of the deliberate
actions. You don't go around haphazardly. Mentally we have to be ready for
action at any moment. We can't be overcome by our circumstances. We have to fix
our hope on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus
Christ. It is like a ballerina fixing her eyes on a spot as she's twirling
around. Her head always comes around first and catches sight of the spot;
otherwise – disaster. We should be just as dedicated to fixing our eyes on the
grace to come. Father thank You that the reader girds his/her mind for action,
keeps sober in spirit, and fixes his/her eyes on the grace to be brought to him/her
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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