Sunday, August 17th

Used Peter's epistle, it's his letter. We just got out of the Gospel of Mark, which many commentators are tribute to be Peter's gospel as recorded by. Mark is close companion. We are now looking at the letter that Peter wrote. Early 68 ATS, he's riding from Rome and he's riding at a very tumultuous time. For the early church, the church is under heavy persecution and he's riding. This primarily is a letter of encouragement. So I hope that we navigate through this book and especially this morning you leave here today in Courage by the words of Peter. That was our take away last week from Patrick its introduction. He's writing this so that they would indeed be encouraged. We pick it up in 1st. Peter, chapter 1, verse 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion and Pontius, galatia, Cappadocia, Asia B in yet. Electric order me, the foreknowledge of God, the father and sanctification of the spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed. Be the God, and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. According to His abundant Mercy, has begotten us again to a Living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this letter of encouragement, paying to by Peter to the early church, to grant them encouragement.

To assuage their worries or anxieties or fears in the face of increasingly intense persecution. We thank you, Father, for this time. We message for us today, we have taken bless our time in your word. That you would reveal yourself to us. Do we grow in our understanding and knowledge of you? The father that more importantly we would experience your comfort. Did the presence of your Holy Spirit. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. Peter's writing this so that his readers would indeed be encouraged. He's giving them a message directly from God, the father. And the reason that they can experience this message from God, the father is because of their relationship with Jesus himself. The only way we get to experience the peace of God is when we first experienced the grace of God in his great Mercy, towards us. When we experience the grace of God in his great Mercy towards us, he causes us to a deed be born again. Born into New Life, a spiritual birth. And that only happens when we recognize the work of Jesus and him alone on the cross. Dead. Buried and raised to life. The third day. And that's where we pick up this morning. And verse 3 blessed, be the God, and father of our Lord. Jesus Christ. You according to His, abundant Mercy, has begotten us again to a Living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

In this verse 3, Peter points out that we don't just have a hope. It's not how we would colloquially use the word hope today like I hope the Mariners actually make the playoffs. I hope maybe the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl. That kind of hope. I hope it doesn't rain anymore today 50/50 proposition I don't know. We can cling to that. Hope know this is a different kind of hope when the Bible speaks of how he speaks of a confident expectation of a common good. The real hope is a Living Hope and that's what Peter is riding here. Blessed. Be the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ who according to His, abundant Mercy had forgotten us again. We're born again to a Living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We talked about this To some level of a detail as we closed out, Mark the Jesus, dude. Hindi fat rise from the dead. This is not just some wishful thinking, it's not the mythology that spread after the fact or hundreds of years later as the story changed, this was a real Justified belief of the early church, this is why the early church willingly went to their deaths. Given the opportunity to take back what they claim to Jesus, just burn a little incidents to seizure and will forgive all your transgressions. Just say, Cesar is Lord and we won't throw you to the lions in. The Colosseum can't renounce Jesus and we won't cover you and oil and pitch and set you a flame Delight near Rose Garden parties. This is why the 11 are martyred for their faith and Sable. John didn't wasn't really modern and you're correct. He wasn't really bored too, but it wasn't from lack of trying. Dictum in a cauldron of hot oil. He tried to banish him to Patmos where most people went to die. They just couldn't kill it. Oh of the early church, fathers suffered greatly for their fate. Had it all being just a fable and it all just been a lie. They would have gladly be counted into suffering and you can read much about it as much in church history box and book. Martyrs will tell you great detail if you desire to look more into it. But the fact that Jesus rose from the dead is one of the greatest attested to fax in history that we have. And I referred you to some books about that Gary had a mass has a three-volume set. You can look into probably the world's leading expert, but Jesus Christ risen from the dead, is the fact you, which gives us this Living Hope. Through the mercy of God. Peter continues on to an inheritance Incorruptible and undefiled, that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. This is sort of like those old Shopping Network. Remember the guy with the Pocket Fisherman, and then can a hair but wait, there's more. The good news is that Jesus Christ died and rose again and that he ascended into heaven. But there's more than that. It's not just that, our sins are forgiven, it's not just in this life only that we have hope. We have an inheritance in heaven and inheritance, that's Incorruptible and undefiled one where thieves cannot break in and steal where moth and rust do not destroy. That is our inheritance Reserve in heaven. This hope is not for this life. Only in fact Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth talks about how we are hoping Jesus for this life. Only we would be miserable, pick it up in 1st Corinthians 15 verse 12. Now Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead. How do you spell you see? There is no resurrection of the dead but if there is no resurrection of the Dead in Christ is not risen. And if Christ has not risen that are preaching is empty and your face is also empty. Yes. And we are found false Witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he did not raise up. If in fact the dead do not rise again. Rice in Christ is not risen and if Christ has not risen your feet is futile and you were still in your sins. Then also going to a fallen asleep in Christ have perished If in this life only we have hope in Christ. We are of all men, the most pitiable but now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. You say, well, I just don't know if I can trust the evidence. Brian, I'm not sure if Paul's clean was based on reality. Remember who Paul was? He wasn't always Paul. He was Saul of Tarsus, he was the persecutor in the church. He had a Zeal for God seeking to thwart those out of the way. What is from the chief? The price he was going to Damascus to arrest any of whom he found men women children and drag them back and change to Jerusalem. Do either recanted their heretical views Jesus or to be punished and put to death. That was so buhen till something happened. Something change you can read about this at 789 encounter on the road to Damascus. We're Paul's life is change when he encounters the person of Jesus in a very real way. Life is changed drastically from that moment on he goes from persecuting, the church to proclaiming the gospel. He goes from being one who supposed to Jesus, to going out and suffering greatly. And in fact, when Jesus speaks to ananias to tell him to go and pray for us all he says, I will show him the things that he must suffer remind namesake and suffering is a very real part of Christian Living. We don't want it to be. Nobody likes suffering, nobody is sign up. Hey, Jesus. I'm here. I'm ready to suffer. It's not our natural proclivity as humans. We try to avoid painful things. We try to avoid hard things, we try to avoid confrontation in general, What suffering is very real part of the Christian experience because we live in a fallen world, it's not because God is a mean thing to active. God, he's not up. Rubbing his hands together and sadistic pleasure, and pain and suffering. On the people of this Earth. Because of the world through one man and death through sin, we live in a world where sin has real consequences for pain and suffering are the course of the day. But Justice Paul prayed with his Thorn In the Flesh. Three times in the Lord, all three times said, my grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made, perfect in weakness, God's grace was sufficient for the Apostle Paul. We'll talk more about Paul and his sufferings a little bit later this morning. But the encouragement for you here today is that God's grace is sufficient for you as well. It wasn't just good for Paul but we're on our own know. God's grace is sufficient for us as well.

Peter continues on as he lays out. Not only do we have a living hope, not only is Our Hope and then Eternal inheritance reserved in heaven for us to continue John at first five who are kept by the power of God, through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. No, I don't know. All the circumstances of your life. I don't know all the trials and tribulations that you face, but I do know this. If you have placed your faith in Jesus, and your Eternal whole Heaven is securely placed on him in his work alone on the cross. Then you can Rejoice because you like the readers that. Riding to hear are kept where kept by the power of God.

But what about internal security? Brian. I don't know how secure, am I what if I mess up and what if I backslide all these things? If you're worried about it, that's your first sign, that you're not in jeopardy, you don't need to be the fact that you are concerned tells me that you are seeking to abide and remain. And there is this tension in the word about abiding in remaining and working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. But Jesus himself says of the father John chapter 10, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me, and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any one. Snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them. Out of my father's hand. I and my father are one You were kept by God and if you can accidentally unintentionally lose your salvation, then one of my favorite commentator says, he has a new name for God. Butterfinger. It's not God's nature. It's not his character. You can't fall out of the hand of the father. Not only. Can you not fall out? No one can pluck you out. The enemy can't pluck. You out the situation to trials in all the difficulties of Life. Can't remove you from the father. You are safe and secure in the father's hand.

Peter is writing to remind them that they are kept by the power of God. Regardless of what circumstances they face, they are secured in the hand of the father and he goes on in this. You greatly Rejoice do now for a little while. If need be, you have been grieved by various trials, you will rejoice in the fact that you are kept by God, that you are returned that you're safe in The Father's hand. But we do still face trials and tribulations. In this life, we still faced pain and suffering, but there's this beautiful thing, I don't know if he caught that word as we went through it. Go now for a little while, that's the thing about trials, that's the thing about tribulation that we experience as Believers, it's temporary Sebring. I've been dealing with this for 20 years. I've been dealing this for this for a long time. How in the world can you say that's temporary? We're looking at the Timeline. All wrong. We serve an eternal God, our lives are, but a vapor eventually missed Paul says, so in the course of Eternity, even if you suffered a hundred years, it would be just a little wisp of vapor in the timeline of Eternity. Say, 100 years is a long time to me, doesn't God care. No, God cares exceedingly and his grace is sufficient for each of us in the midst of our trials.

Paul talks about the temporary nature of our suffering in his second letter to Corinthians in chapter 4. You pick it up. In first seven, we have this treasure in Earthen vessels that the workmen of the power baby of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side yet not crushed. We are perplexed but not in despair, persecute but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. Always caring about in the body. The dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus Also may be manifested in our body where you live, or always delivered to death for Jesus sake. That the life of Jesus Also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us but light in you that since we have the same Spirit of Faith according to what is written, I believe and therefore I spoke we also believe and therefore speak knowing that he raised up the Lord. Falafel place up with Jesus and present us with you. For all things are for your sakes that Grace haven't spread from the many make us Thanksgiving to a bound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light Affliction, which is. But for a moment, He's working for us a far more exceeding, and eternal weight of Glory. That should make you chuckle a little bit and then it should make you cuddle up and then it can make you chuckle. Again, when Paul talks about his light Affliction and you look at the things that Paul suffered imprisonment, BTW 3 x, receiving the Forty lashes, -1 Shipwrecked in the day-to-day hungry, naked, all of these things, he was out that he suffered endure for the sake of the gospel and what is he described it? As A light Affliction, an inconvenience.

Why we do not look at the things with your team, but the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Summarize is all of this in a much shorter reference in Romans, chapter 8, verse 18. I consider the sufferings of this present time or not worthy to be compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in a spoiled attitude toward suffering. With all the many things that he endured, for the sake of the Gospel, then, whatever, trial and tribulation, or present suffering you, or I'm experiencing this life. We need to have the proper perspective. The perspective of Eternity, we need to understand that God is actually working all things together for our good. But I feel like it in the moment or not. That's the promise of the word of God, if you're having trouble feeling it, pray that Lord, I know you promised in your word that you will use this for my good. I can't see it don't but I need your peace that surpasses all understanding. I need your holy spirit's presence to comfort me in this temporary Affliction, return your mind active, the Heavenly perspective. Then we can realize that these momentary trials and tribulations are just that their temporary. We're not promised. This journey, we're not promised and sunshine and Roses. We're not promised it smooth sailing, we're promised to save destination on the far Shore, that's what we're looking for. That is our hope that is our inheritance. These trials. Any deed are just that. They're temporary. And there's a reason when we see trials is temporary, when we gain in Eternal perspective, on the difficulties that we face in life, that helps us with our Outlook. There's a reason that Peter elaborates here in verse 7, that the genuineness of your face being much more precious than gold, that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise honor and Glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ and tribulations do just that they try us, they test us. They were fighting us like precious metal or Jewels going through a fire. They revealed the genuineness of our faith. Not only do, they reveal. The genuineness of our faith. They are the testimony of the witness to the world around us. How in the world can you? Praise God when you lost your job? How in the world can you steal rejoice and praise God? When your circumstances are Grim when the cancer diagnosis comes in, when the sudden death in the family, was unexpected, the world, can't make sense of it because the world has no hope We have an eternal Hope For Living Hope. We can endure trials and tribulations, we can endure pain and suffering because our hope is not in this world until eternity. We have a risen savior who stand Before the Throne. Hebrews tells us ever living to make intercession for us. We have an advocate with the father so that no matter what the world or the enemy of our own sinful flesh, throws against us, we have an advocate Jesus Christ. The righteous who ever lives to make intercession for us. And he's given us his Holy Spirit who dwells within us and intercedes for us. When we don't even know whether how to pray he preys on our behalf. What then can man do to me? This is why Paul in 1st Thessalonian spireites, these instructions Rejoice always pray without ceasing and in everything. Give thanks for. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Notice it didn't say rejoice when things are sunshine and roses and happy time. Don't take me to Joyce, always notice. It doesn't just say have joy. It says, Rejoice have joy. Again, Joy is a choice Rejoice always pray without ceasing. We should have a spirit of Prayer, in continual, communication with God. And in everything, give, thanks, notice. It wasn't for everything. You don't have to thank God for losing your job or for having that motor vehicle accident for the sudden tragic death in the family but in those things you can thank God for the work he's doing whether you see it or not. In everything give thanks. This is the trying, the refining, the proof that your face is indeed a genuine faith. And what is our faith in our faith is in Jesus, in his finished work on the cross. Peter goes on whom, having not seen you love do now. You do not see him yet. Believe in you rejoice with joy inexpressible. And full of Glory Joy inexpressible. That's the number one marker of a Christian Life. Having joy in spite of circumstances in spite of trials, in the face of tribulation, in the face of suffering, choosing to have joy to praise God, in all of your circumstances, weather Pleasant or unpleasant, but our plan for ask for or otherwise to Joy. We find joy in our Salvation. We find joy in our savior, in the finish, work of Jesus, who still continues to ever live to make intercession for it. This is why James wrote in chapter 1, my brother and count it all joy. When you fall into various trials, Knowing that the testing of your faith. Produces patience but let patience have its perfect work, but you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Anybody out there had that in your first response when trials and tribulations come. Oh, thank you, Lord, for this wonderful trial. Thank you for these painful tribulations. It's not our natural response, that's because the natural man doesn't like pain and suffering. The flesh wants to avoid it, but we understand that pruning. As painful as making us an image of a sun, And with that pruning comes pain, it's a natural course. James tells us to choose an attitude of Joy. Consider it all, joy, count it all joy. When you fall into various trials. Knowing this is where are in my past to take over. It doesn't feel warm and fuzzy, doesn't feel fantastically, wonderful, but logically, when we understand the word, and we understand the work of the holy spirit in our life, we know that God is working for our good and there's nothing wasted in God's economy. No pain, no suffering, no trial, no tribulations wasted, he uses it or he works it all together for our good. Jamaica's oldest shape us into the image of his son that we might have a testimony to the lost and dying world around us as beacons of Hope for the work that he has done in our life and he continues to do, despite the various trials and tribulations, we face This is Joy Enix precedent and the reason it's inexpressible cuz it doesn't make sense. It's not logical. The world doesn't understand is foolishness to them. That are perishing. Why are you having joy in these circumstances? Doesn't that mean God doesn't love, you can't. God saving from these things know. The Lord is working in my life that he's using these things for a reason, even though I don't see it. And I'm choosing to have joy for the work that he is doing. When we have this eternal perspective, when we understand that the Lord isn't work in these trials, our faith is built. We have a more sure understanding of the Salvation. We have received receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. We're going to get into a lot of deep water in Peter's epistle. Many commentators will make the claim that the first letter the first Epistle of Peter contains the whole, the full summation of all of the major doctrines of the Christian faith and some of them are waiting and some of them take quite a bit of explanation, Peter uses this word salvation, but that's an umbrella term that covers various aspects of justification. Sanctification glorification. We could spend probably a Month of Sundays this doing through what makes up this category of Salvation in its entire Salvation includes justification that moment in time where you are now Justified before, God, that's a single moment and it's past tense after you place your face in Jesus, you have been set free from the penalty of sin. You are Justified before a, holy God, and it is just as if I'd never said, you've been set free from the penalty of sin, but inside of Salvation is also the ongoing work of the holy spirit in our life does sanctification. The cleansing. We're being set free from the power of sin in our life. That's Romans 7 in the Romans 8, we talked about that before, that's the ongoing work of Salvation, the work of the holy spirit in our life, being set free from the power of sin. And one day I will be safe. Ultimately, I will be glorified when I'm set free from the very presence of sand in my life. I'm now in the presence of the Lord and no longer do I wrestle with this. Full body, I will be sitting, I will be glorified. I have been saved Justified set free from the penalty of sin. I am being sane ongoing Sanctified. I will be saved one day in the future glorified. All three aspects under the blanket term of salvation. But here's the thing about salvation, that Peter goes on to explain for us.

Previously before Jesus came, it was a great mystery of this salvation. The prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you. The prophets in the Old Testament, they were mystified that was his ongoing lingering mystery in the word of the Lord came to them and they wrote. But it was a little bit made, they didn't understand. They knew that the abrahamic Covenant would come to pass the davidic Covenant would come to pass and they had all of these inspiration from God that they were able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Salvation was indeed a mystery.

But that mystery is revealed in the person of Jesus. Call write this in his letter to the Church of colosky. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh. What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ in the sake of his body, which is the church, which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God, which was given to me for you to fulfil the word of God, the mystery, which has been hidden from ages and from generation. But now has been revealed to his Saints to them. God will to make known what are the riches of the glory of his mystery, among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the hope of glory, that mystery, that was hidden from the prophets in the past, has now been revealed

Solving, she offered not to the jewel, me but to the Gentile, as well grafting in the Wild Olive Branch. Peter continues on searching water. What manner of time, the spirit of Christ was in them was indicating when he testified before hand. The sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. New Testament. Prophets wrote about the sufferings of the Messiah, but they didn't understand it because there's this overlap between the Messianic Kingdom and God's holy mountain in the millennial Reign and how everything's perfect and awesome. And finally restored, the restoration of Creation, The Lion lying down with the lamb. And yet, there was also this great view written about the Messiah suffering and die. If he dies. How is he going to set up this Millennial Reign and how it's God's? They didn't understand it. They didn't realize that they were two events in the Messiah. What they wrote about beforehand, they prophesied. I want sex. The Bible apart from all other religious books all other religious claims, the Bible contains over two-thirds of its content. As prophecy is the only book that dares in advance to tell us what we will be coming down the line and unlike other prophecy claims, the Bible has been accurate. One hundred percent of the time, many Skeptics have gone back. They try to reason their way through what they come with all sorts of explanations. Well, Daniel 8 through 12 had to be written after the fact, because it kind of been given in advance and have you been someone later who witnessed these pants and then pretended, to be Daniel and wrote it as a PostScript. What, what they produce? Daniel chapter 2 laid it all out to Daniel chapter 2, in the Statue with the head of gold, in the arms of silver in the belly and bronze in the legs of iron and then the ten toes of iron I was in Chapter 2, so go ahead and try to make a case for me. It's not the same, Daniel, good luck.

Prophecy. The one thing that separates the Bible apart. Not only do we have the more sure word of Prophecy.

There's this interesting thing is we close this morning? I don't think we truly understand or give the full appreciation for how much a miracle salvation really is and I hope is we look at Bruce will pierce you get a little bit of an Inkling. Do that. What was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they were administering, the things, which now have been reported to you through those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit, Sent From Heaven. And then there's this tagline at the end. Things which Angels desire to look into. Think about that for a minute.

The angels in heaven who do well in the very presence of God who witnessed the creation of the universe. Who is sitting in the presence of God, I don't know if I can emphasize any more to you than to dwell. In the very presence of God, the Holiness of God, and they're Amazed by the Holiness of God, so that they keep falling down all the time, declaring. Holy holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. The same angels, Desire to look into the mechanism of Salvation. It's a curiosity to them, it blows their mind. Who's the creator of the universe? The Eternal God, the one who spoke the world into existence would love me and you and that only loved me and you, but he would send his son to take on the form of his creation. The walk this life on Earth. In human flesh. To fulfill the law perfectly content to suffer greatly. If you talked about this, as we concluded Mark, I'm not going to rehash it all but he bore the weight of the sin of the world. All Humanity for all-time think about that. For a moment. That was the greatest suffering. Not the scourging not the nails driving through his nerves. Hanging on the cross struggling for breath.

The guilt of sin for all Humanity. All the atrocities ever committed by the worst of mankind. He paid for that sin. He bore that in his body on the cross. What was the Angels Minds? Desire to look into salvation? They can understand that they're mystified, they don't get it. This is why the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner repents, when one soul is saved, there's a party in heaven.

This doctrine of salvation, we grasped just a small fraction of the full week, the full magnitude of what's really entailed. It blows the Angels Minds, it was a mystery prophesied by prophets in the past and it's now being revealed in our very presence. We don't get it. We treated as a casual thing, I do. Yeah, I'm safe. I might hurt a little bit and I made a pledge. We even begin to grasp the full weight of what is happening in the Eternal Realms. When the Lost Sinner is saved the Angels, get it there in the presence of God and mystified their stomach, they're looking into this process of salvation. The few moments we're going to head down to the river and we're going to celebrate this act of Salvation. We're going to invite those who have placed their faith in Jesus to make a public declaration saying that they are identifying themselves with Jesus. They're placing all of their seeing on the cross. With him, you're identifying with him in his death. There identifying with him, in his burial, on the water in her. Identifying, with his resurrection in new life, eternal, hope our inheritance in heaven looking to make a public Declaration of that. If there are any here in this morning, who's never looked into salvation in what Jesus has done for you, I would encourage you to do. So today, make today your day of repentance, make today your day of salvation, make today the day that you decided. Surrender Your Life to Jesus because what he has done for you. There may be some here this morning who've already made that declaration but I just never got around to being baptized. I didn't seem to point to get talked about this last week. Baptism music am and it is the next step in obedience for those who have placed their faith in Jesus. When you came prepared or not, we're happy to baptize you. Today, I'm going to ask three questions when we get down in the water. You believe. Jesus Christ, Son of God, you place your phone, wait for Eternal hope and having an eternity with him Upon, Jesus is working his work alone on the cross. If you promise to follow in the rest of your life, answering those three guests to those three questions. There's no reason we can't baptize you today. Who's with me in prayer will take about five minutes for those who are getting baptized will meet with you right there at that, but Corner, before we head down to the river, Thank you for your word. This morning. We thank you for this beautiful reminder. A epistle to be encouraged to remember the work that you have done in our lives. What you have saved us from, what our inheritance in heaven is father, let us not be discouraged by the trials and tribulations of this life. Father help us to view our trials and tribulations exactly for what they are, temporary in the scale of Eternity, momentary, light afflictions and Paul would call them. Father, help us to choose, joy to rejoice in all things. Compass father-to-be your ambassadors boldly, declaring the hope of Jesus, the Eternal hope that we have to the lost and dying world around us. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Those are getting baptized 5 minutes and meet you in the back corner.