[0:00] You're listening to the sermon podcast of Grace Reformed Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee. To learn more about us, visit our website at gracereformed.org.
[0:11] And now, today's sermon. We're continuing our time reading really a letter that Paul is writing to a suffering church.
[0:23] Church that's not only undergoing persecution for their faith, but they're also just suffering. Suffering from the world. Suffering from death.
[0:37] And he's, in a very pastoral tone, if you read these verses out of context, they can sound angry and exacting. And by no means, Peter wants you to play with sin, because he's done it himself and he understands the ramifications of it.
[0:54] But this is not disconnected from the entirety of the letter. Where he's wanting to comfort them in their hope and also remind them of what sin causes.
[1:07] Basically, worldly desires, which is the opposite of God's desires, only emphasize and focus on self-gratification. If you think about any time of your life when you've had pain based upon your own actions, you were probably trying to gratify something that God never intended you to find satisfaction in.
[1:30] And that's what's hard about our world that we live in, is that we want to find satisfaction in areas that God has never called us to. If you go back to verse 10 and 11, it says, This is Peter quoting really a proverb from Psalm 34, 12 through 16.
[2:13] And he's using it as an illustration that there is a sense of good about life. That life can have a sense where there's purpose and meaning of it, to love life.
[2:29] Based upon those who pursue what they know is right and holy. And that for those who don't, the opposite is true. That their experience of life can be much more complicated.
[2:43] This is Proverbs 13, 15. It says, Good sense wins favor. Seems logical to me. I often ask my children this.
[2:54] So, do you think that was a good idea? In the aftermath, they say, Well, of course not. So, the next time you can remember, This is not a good idea.
[3:05] And therefore, you'll have good sense. Right? And then the last part of the verse says, But the way of the treacherous, the way of the sinner, Is their ruin. Is their destruction.
[3:18] Some of this is just what we call worldly common sense. But at times, we are so blinded by our own sin, We can't even see what should be common.
[3:31] Both of these instructions, As far as pursuing what is holy and right, And putting away that which is sinful, Are not disconnected from the motivation.
[3:42] From the hope of one's obedience. If you were to simply look for an easier life, Like, I just want to make my life easier. Then you are in for a rude awakening, Because Peter warned you, That just pursuing holiness, Doesn't mean your life will go well.
[3:58] That's prosperity gospel. That's what's called a gospel of glory. Where your life continues to improve, Based upon your actions. Jesus suffered while living on this earth, And he was the perfect example, Of one who chose everything, That was holy and right.
[4:14] And yet he suffered. This is why Peter says in verse 17, For it is better to suffer for doing good, If that should be God's will, Than for doing evil.
[4:27] If you're going to suffer, Make sure it's for something that's of value, Versus for something that only hurts you, And those around you. Now some might hear what Peter is saying, And determine, Yeah, he's right.
[4:44] I don't really want to suffer from my sin anymore. Which is commendable. I agree. You don't want to do that. And the conclusion is, I'm going to try harder. And I'm really looking forward to how John's going to help me, Try harder this week.
[4:58] To not sin. Well, I'm going to agree with you, That the pursuit of trying harder to not sin, Is a good pursuit, But if it is not rooted in the right motivations, You are doomed to fail, And will fail, Again and again.
[5:15] I have been working with people, Pastoring people for over 20 years now, And in that time, I have seen people commit, All kinds of different sins, To themselves, To each other, Hurtful, Evil sins.
[5:31] One of the questions, I always ask, When they're in my office is, Why did you do that? What was your motivation? You would think it would be a simple answer, But it is interesting how often, It turns into a maze of answers, Trying to get to the bottom of the, Reasons of why someone acted the way they did.
[5:55] After all is said and done, And you hear, All the conclusions, It ends up, It was a misplaced hope. It was a misplaced hope.
[6:07] There was a hope, That at the end of the road travel, Going down, The wrong decision, After wrong decision, After wrong decision, It would lead you to a place, Of positive outcome. And instead, It was just the fulfillment, Of worldly desires.
[6:22] And that is always going to lead us, To pain. When you ignore the truth of God's word, That this world is broken, The system is broken, The body is broken, Everything about it is wrong, When you ignore that, And begin to put your hope, Into the world, You're going to end up pursuing evil.
[6:45] And I know that's hard to hear, But this is the exact warning we get. If you turn with me to 1 John chapter 2, There is a strong warning from John.
[6:57] It's very much connected to 1 Peter. If you stop believing the truth, You will easily believe, There is something about the world to hope in.
[7:16] What runs and rules this world, Is evil. That is hard to believe, But it's true. The desires they pursue, The passions of their flesh, Their hopes are contrary, To our king.
[7:29] This is what the world calls, Worldly desires. This is 1 John chapter 2, Verse 15. He says this. Now we have to identify the word world here, Because he says, Do not love the world.
[7:41] What he means is, The way in which the world, Pursues its passions. Worldly passions. It says, Do not love the world, Or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, The love of the father is not in him.
[7:54] It's not that it's a bad idea, It's that those who do this, Don't understand, The opposite of what this is, Which is the goodness of God, And his love. For all that is in the world, Now listen to how he describes it, This is super helpful.
[8:07] The desires of the flesh, And the desires of the eyes, And pride of life, Is not from the father, But it is from the world.
[8:18] Did you notice how he wasn't talking about, Necessarily objects in the world? The world's fear itself, Or flat, Whatever you choose, These days. I'm just seeing if you're all paying attention.
[8:33] No, he's talking about an attitude of life, And what is driving it. And so he's saying, The desires of the flesh, Which means, When your fleshly desires, Lust and anger, And pride, And greed and envy, When that becomes what drives your actions, That's worldly.
[8:53] And then he says, The desires of the eyes. What comes through the eye gate, Is this is what I'm going to pursue, To fulfill who I am, And then the pride of life. Those who boast in themselves, Instead of the Lord, Is not from God.
[9:10] 1 John 2, 17. This is the part I wanted to get to. The world is passing away. The world is passing away. Along with its desires. Whoever does the will of God, Abides forever.
[9:26] We could say, The world is a sinking ship. And we're trying to polish the brass, As it sinks. And he says, Don't do this.
[9:41] So the world takes the body, Given to them, And uses it to fulfill the wicked desires, That are innate within us, But we've been freed from. And why? Because, This is important, Why does our world do this?
[9:54] It's because they live under a different king. He says, The love of the Father is not in you, Which means, There's another love that's in you, And it's a self love, It's an evil love, It's a love that is fed by an evil leader.
[10:06] If we turn to Colossians chapter 1, In verse 13, We can see that there's been a change, Of leadership in our life. There's been a change, Of influence. First, Sorry, Colossians 1, 13 says, Jesus, He has delivered us, From the domain of darkness, The kingdom of darkness, Where we served, What happened, And he transferred us, To the kingdom of his beloved son.
[10:36] So there's a change, In leadership, There's a change in influence, There's a change in allegiance. So unfortunately, We do carry with us, Through life, The old self.
[10:51] It's going to be used, For God's glory, As crazy as that sounds. But we are no longer bound, In the prisons, That we were before. We can say to the flesh, By God's grace, It has no power over me anymore.
[11:05] What makes us different, From the world then? Why would we want to say, No to the flesh? The desires of the heart?
[11:17] And according to Peter, And we'll learn from 1 John, Here in a minute, And Paul, Because our hope, Is different from their hope. Because of the hope, That is within us.
[11:29] So this morning, I want to point out, The two ways that Peter, Uses our hope, To give us the purpose, Of our lives. There's really a two-fold purpose, In this text, That he's pushing us towards. Last week, We really talked, About suffering, And how it is that we respond, With suffering.
[11:43] Hey Gavin, I see you. I saw you waving at me. But we also, Are moving now, Into the latter part of, Okay, But this also means, We need to control our bodies, In a way, That it has a purpose.
[11:57] And so really, The first one is, The purpose is behind our life, Is to free us from, Suffering for evil. Well, Peter doesn't want us, To suffer for evil. I don't want us to suffer for, I don't want me to.
[12:09] If there was a way, To never sin again, In this life, Sign me up. Literally, Whatever, Whatever it would take, I'm in. But unfortunately, We're going to wrestle, With a power that is stronger than us, We're going to need something, Stronger than us.
[12:23] So, The first point, That Peter is talking to us, Is to free us, From the suffering of evil. Number two, To free us, Sorry, To free others, From suffering, From evil as well.
[12:34] So let's start with this first one. If you're still in Colossians, Turn to chapter three with me. We're going to use a couple of, Parallel passages, That are very similar, To what Peter's written, To give us maybe a little bit, Other insight, Another perspective.
[12:52] So Colossians chapter three, In verse one, I then, If then you have been raised with Christ, Seek the things that are above, Where Christ is seated, At the right hand of God.
[13:06] Set your minds on things that are above, Not on things that are on the earth, For you have died, And your life is hidden with Christ in God. So you can hear, Within Paul's language, A change of regime.
[13:17] But it was a rescue, Right? He says he rescued you. You were dead, He brought you to life. When Christ, Who is your life, Appears, Then you also, Will appear with him in glory.
[13:28] There's the hope. Then he says, In response to what we have, Our hope, Put to death therefore, What is earthly in you.
[13:38] So this is the opposite, Of what is spiritual. Sexual immorality, Impurity, Passion, Evil desire, And covetousness, Which is idolatry. On account of these, The wrath of God is coming.
[13:52] In these, You too once walked, When you were living in them, But now you must put them all away. Anger, Wrath, Malice, Slander, And obscene talk, From your mouth.
[14:05] So there's the contrast, Of those, Who are freed, From the passions of their flesh, We look different. We sound different. Why? Because our hope, Is different.
[14:17] What drives us, Is different. Both in Peter, And Paul, They present this idea, Of what's going on, As kind of the already, And not yet.
[14:28] Because we have, Some of these benefits now, And we enjoy the benefits of them. But some of them, We don't. And that's where, Our hope remains. Go back with me, To 1st Peter chapter 1, I know we're flipping, All over the place today, But I think it's good, For us to see this.
[14:47] 1st Peter chapter 1, And verse 3, By the way, If you ever go to a church, And they don't open up, And read the word, I don't know if that's a church, I'm just saying, It's moving you, There's that.
[14:58] I don't feel well, So I'm also pretty snarky, Just saying. That's not an excuse for my sin, I'm just letting you know. A little punchy today.
[15:11] Alright, 1st Peter chapter 1, And verse 3. This is the already, This is what we already have in Christ. Blessed be the God, And Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again, To a living hope, Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, From the dead.
[15:31] Why is it alive? Because it's connected to our king. That's what we already have, We have his mercy, And his forgiveness, And so we enjoy that now. That's the part of our hope, That we can look at and say, I don't have to say yes to the flesh, I can say no, Because of my king, Gives me a hope of my resurrection, And a power to say no, But then there's the not yet part.
[15:54] And this is what drives us, To say no to the lies, Of the world's flesh. Verse 4, To an inheritance that is imperishable, Undefiled, And unfading, Kept in heaven for you, Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for salvation, Ready to be revealed to the last times.
[16:10] In this, You rejoice. Everything we want this life to be, Which is perfect, Harmonious relationships, Bodies that don't beat us up, Bodies that function, Friendships that are refreshing, A world not full of death and destruction, Everything he just promised, He says, It's coming, And it's being held by God's power, Which means you don't have to worry about bringing it in.
[16:41] This is really helpful, Because 1 John's like, The world's sinking and crashing, And the new one is being held by me, So what does that allow us to do? Okay, Alright, So I'm not responsible for this world, And I'm not responsible for the next one.
[16:56] Yeah, You got it. That's the not yet part. You're not here yet, But you're not responsible to try and rescue this planet, Because it can't be. It's going towards destruction.
[17:07] And you're not responsible for building, Because what does Jesus say? I must go, Because when I go away, I'm preparing a place for you. You're not preparing it, He is. That's the not yet part. That's the part of our hope.
[17:18] That's what allows us to look at this world and go, Disaster, But the plan is not to try and fix the disaster. Then what is the plan? What are we doing? So we're going to get into that this morning.
[17:33] The already provides for us, Thinking about what God has already given us, Our forgiveness. The already provides for us the love and acceptance we often try to find from others through sinful passions.
[17:45] We will use others for their approval, Their sensual pleasures, And their wealth to give us satisfaction that we want.
[17:58] This is the desires of the flesh that he's talking about. But if you understand the gospel, And what you've received from Jesus already, You do not have to use people that way. Now the world uses each other this way, But we don't.
[18:10] We're different in this way. Our Father says, That if we seek after these pleasures, They are the opposite of who he is, And what he has for us.
[18:23] This should be good enough reminder, That when the temptations come across us, Our minds to want to use someone for our advantage, We can say, That's a lie. How?
[18:35] How is it that we can do this? Because it happens to us every day. Every single day we wrestle with this. How do we do this? By remembering what true love actually looks like.
[18:47] You see, One night stands exists because, We want the intimacy of love, But not the sacrifice of it. We want the experience of it, But not which it comes with the price to pay.
[18:59] To my married friends, Who are here, We often use our bodies, For ourselves, But the gospel says that, Our bodies are a gift to our spouse.
[19:12] Using them in a way, That best serves them, And is a service to them. We lay ourselves down, And this includes every room in our home. It's for them.
[19:23] It's a reflection of what God has already given us. We don't have to be selfish, And pursue our fleshly desires, Because God has freed that from it, And said, You're going to have more joy, Reflecting me to your spouse, Than you would ever, Trying to get their acceptance, Trying to get their pleasure, Or trying to get their protection.
[19:43] Because you'll end up using them, And abusing them. Because of the hope that lives within us, When we think about relationships in our world, Which is Peter's concern with here, He's like, Listen, Look to God's love.
[19:59] He cares for you. His favor is already upon you. You don't need their approval. You have God's approval. He already has proven this upon us, And put his approval upon us.
[20:10] He will make all things right. You don't have to make your spouse right. He'll do it eventually. You have to learn how to live with grace, And patience, And forgiveness, While we wait for God, To transform our spouse.
[20:26] There's nothing wrong with praying for them too. Just saying. We can live our lives pouring out for others, Because we understand this distinction, And purposes of it.
[20:40] Now those of you who are single, I want to make a couple of references to you, And then we're going to move on, Back to 1 John chapter 2. The world is lying to you.
[20:52] And those of us who are married, Well, We already know this, Because the lie is, Things get better when I'm married. Oh man, I believed that one. In the first six months of my marriage, I was like, Wow, I didn't sign up for this.
[21:06] This is harder. Isn't that easier? It was easier to live by myself. In today's world, Love is always the outflow of lust.
[21:18] Just think about it for a moment. I love the way you make me feel. I love the way that you look. I love how you make me everything.
[21:31] Now, That sounds like most music, And books, And movies today. But let's just reword instead of, I love how the way you make me feel, And the way that you look.
[21:43] John words it this way, 1 John 2, 16, For all that is in the world, The desires of the flesh, I love how you make me feel. The desires of the eyes, I love the way you look. The pride of life, I love how you bring me significance.
[21:56] Is not from the Father, But is of the world. But it looks, And feels, And sounds so good. You know why I know this?
[22:08] Because I too fall for it. Right? We've all wondered, If we've been in the wrong relationships, Or what it would like to be with this person. We've all done, What God has warned us about.
[22:22] That is a lie, That is not love. That is not from God at all. Pay close attention to the lives of those, Who write and produce this type of material, And you will find that their lives, Are not ones of peace and harmony, And joy and happiness.
[22:42] It's because they are the tools, Of the enemy. And they themselves, Are become the victims of him as well. And unfortunately, Satan will continue to drug them, And us, Until he destroys us, And everyone around us.
[23:03] So how do we keep from, Falling into, These types of lies? Well this is, Going back to Colossians chapter 3, And verse 2, Paul says, Set your mind, On things that are above, Not on things, That are on the earth.
[23:22] You ever heard this phrase, Don't be so heavenly minded, That you're no earthly good. Anybody ever heard that before? I don't think it's possible. I really don't.
[23:34] Don't think about Jesus too much, Because if you do, You won't be very effective on this world. That just sounds dumb to me. Paul's like, No, You want to think about, The hope that you have in Christ, Beyond this world, Because it keeps you focused, On not falling prey, To the temptations, And the lies that are here.
[23:51] This is Romans 12 too, Most of us know this one. He says, Do not be conformed to this world, Well we know what that is, From 1 John, But be transformed, By the renewal of what?
[24:02] Your mind. That by testing, You may discern, What is the will of God, What is good, And acceptable, And perfect. That's twice now, Paul's like, You're going to need, To be refreshing your mind, What you think about, What you set your heart on, What you put your desires towards.
[24:20] If you find yourself, Trapped in worldly desires, Like this morning, We heard the law, We took a moment to reflect, And hopefully the Holy Spirit, Comes and convicted all of our hearts, In the ways in which we fell, To the world's desires, And God gave us the opportunity, To confess that to him, And be refreshed and renewed, And receive his favor once again, By the means of his mercy, But we're also, Not only to confess our sins, But ask ourselves, Where did they come from?
[24:49] What have I been doing, That is influencing, My heart and my mind? We must be discerning, And ask ourselves, Is what I am engaging, Leading me towards, A love that is sacrificial, Based on Christ, Or is it selfish, And I'm taking advantage of others?
[25:10] Am I being enticed, To be selflessly pleasing myself? This is why Peter warns us, By the way, This is before the internet, Right?
[25:22] So apparently, It's a problem, No matter where you live, Or what technology is there, The enemy can get into our minds, So that would mean, That in the church, 2000 years ago, And the church today, We have the same encouragement, Renew your mind, With the truth, Therefore you'll be able, To identify the lies, And church, You're going to have to be honest, With yourself, Do you fill your mind, With that of the hope, Of Christ to come, And the realities, Of his favor upon you, And his grace upon you, And the way in which, He has loved you, And you love, But do you fill your mind, With this?
[25:57] Or do you fill your mind, With the garbage, Because it feels good? I don't stand here, Judging you, I have felt the guilt, And shame, Of I enjoy this, But I know, It is not healthy for me, This is why he says, Renew your mind, With what?
[26:16] With things, That are above, With Christ, But this does get exhausting, Some of us will walk out of here, Like all right, This week I'm going to renew my mind, I'm going to focus on Christ, And then by Friday, You're like dude, I'm pretty sure Jesus needs to come back now, Because I'm like done, Right?
[26:39] This is why, We long for rest, And comfort in our bodies, From the not yet part, The not yet, The not yet, We will forever live, In bodies that are not broken, Anymore, Where we don't hear of, Diagnosis of cancer, Of children not being born, Where people are murdered, And we will eventually be there, But if you're not renewing your mind, In the hope of Christ, That hope fades away, I used to take this survey quite a bit, Asking people, How many are excited, About going to heaven, And most people say, They're not for one reason, Because they don't really understand, What's waiting for them, It sounds like a cold, Very boring, Hymn sing, With white, Colorless clothes, For the rest of our lives, Yippee,
[27:40] Skippy, But that is not the promise, He says, It's a new heavens, And a new earth, Which means it's this earth, With all the joys, And pleasures, And wonders, But with our king, And without sin, Now that is something, To anticipate, And look forward to, I want us to look at, Just two more passages, And then we'll, Start to wind this down, My voice has lasted, Much longer than I thought, So, For those of you, Who thought you were, Getting out here early, I apologize, Titus chapter 2, And first John 3, We'll start in Titus chapter 2, I love how Paul writes, Thinking about the way, In which we, Think to the future, The not yet part, He says this, Titus 2 verse 11, For the grace of God, Has appeared, Bringing salvation, For all people, Training us, To renounce ungodliness, Worldly passions, And to live self-controlled, Upright, And godly lives, In this present age, So this is the, Present part,
[28:42] Here's the, Not yet, Waiting for our blessed hope, The appearing of the glory, Of our great God, And Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for us, To redeem us, From all lawlessness, And to purify for him, A people, For his own possession, Who are zealous for good works, That's the purpose, Now, So he's telling you, What you have received, What you will receive, And now the purpose of your life, Declare, These things, Exhort, And rebuke with all authority, Let no one disregard you, It's not that, Well I'm saved, Now I just sit back, And wait for the world to end, There's, There's much to do, Look at 1st John 3, I love this section, 1st John 3, 1, John writes, So what kind of love, The father has given to us, Back up, He says, See, What kind of love, Which means there's a contrast, Between the world's love, And God's love,
[29:43] See what kind of love, The father has given to us, That we should be called, The children of God, And so we are, The reason why, The world does not know us, Is that it does not, It did not know him, Beloved, We are God's children now, And what we, So there's the, Already, And what we will be, Has not yet appeared, That is, Not yet, But we know, That when he appears, We shall be like him, Because we shall see him, As he is, Now he collapses, The already and the not yet, Into one verse, And everyone who thus, Hopes in him, Purifies himself, As he is pure, See that now, There's your motivation for life, I've been forgiven, I am his child, I know what's waiting for me, And I know when he comes, I will be like him, And I cannot wait, To be like that,
[30:43] So I'm not going to wait, I'm going to do it now, Because it reflects, What I truly believe in, We all like to represent, Things that we're passionate about, Right, Whether it be sports, Or fashion, Or apparel, Or music, And we'll don, Whether it's a shirt, Or a jersey, Because we want other people to know, I'm for this, John is saying, When your hope begins, To be put into the new life, Into Christ, You're going to want, Other people to say, Well that's what I'm about, I'm hoping in not this world, But the one that's to come, And I want you to see that, Everyone who thus hopes, Purifies himself, As he is pure, You see, It's not everyone that's afraid, To be under the wrath of God, And not make it, Starts to clean their life up, Because Jesus is coming back, And when he comes back, I may not make it, No that's not called hope, That's called dread, This is everyone who sees, The wonder and the glory of Jesus, The hope that is to come,
[31:44] His life, Begins to want to be a reflection of that, And so this leads us to, Our first point was, When we look at the gospel, And we understand what Christ is for us, That frees us from, Suffering our own evil, Our own stupidity, Our own sin, But number two, It frees us from, It helps to free others, From their evil as well, And this is where, Peter is getting at as far as, They're going to see your good deeds, This is the way I put it together, In my own mind, Hopefully it helps, And makes sense to you, It's a one way rescue mission, When Jesus pulled us out, Of the enemy's prison, He told us, Look, We are going to stay here, And get others out, Until the war is over, And how does that work, We continue to live, Among the prisoners, As free slaves, But we now serve, The king of kings, Instead of the God of this world, You will continue, To feel the pain of this world, It's in a war,
[32:45] It's cursed, It's full of evil, And death, But I will make, All things new and right, I need you to stay focused, On that promise, I will return with justice, And with my kingdom, That I am preparing right now, Don't let the enemy, Trick you, Back into the prison, I freed you from, The simple way to help, Is that, Stick with your family, Use my book of promises, It is filled with magical power, That will help your heart, Be full of love, For the mission, That is before you, Renew your mind, Weekly around my book, The world will lie to you, Everywhere you go, If you walk in the light, Of my word, You will not be tripped, In the darkness, As you live this way, Among the prisoners, In the dark kingdom, At some point, They will see your light, And ask you, How is it that you have this hope, And they don't, Be ready to give them,
[33:48] The answer, But remember, They will be the ones, Who have been hurting you, So do it with gentleness, And respect, Having a good conscience, So that, When you are slandered, Those who revile, Your good behavior in Christ, They will be put to shame, Not you, For it is better to suffer, For doing good, If that should be God's will, Than for doing evil, Your suffering, Dear child, Is not in vain, I will use every moment, Of every day, To rescue the lost, Keep your eyes on me, On the kingdom, On my promises, I will not fail you, I love you, And my spirit, Lives within you, Be looking for my return, See that's, How every single day, Is faced, You see, The sin, That we indulge in, Not only hurts us, But it hurts those around us, Who could be freed,
[34:49] It's, Selfishness, That is shameful, Paul, Peter uses a really harsh word, He calls it, Evil, When we reject, The grace of God, And we turn back, To our sinful desires, He says, It's evil, And I understand that, So church, The what I don't want us to do, Is to walk out of here, And think how to not, Sin, Or I got to figure out, How not to sin, Because you're going to sin, And you're going to do it a lot, Unfortunately, This is why, John didn't say, If you sin, Confess your sins, He says, When you sin, Confess your sins, Why?
[35:34] So it doesn't enslave you, Once again, So it doesn't trap you, Once again, So you can see, That his promises are true, Every time we confess our sins, He is faithful, And just, To forgive us of our sins, And let me tell you what, It's a lot of sins, I love Hebrews 4, Because Hebrews says, When you are in need, Of mercy and grace, To be clear, Mercy, Is to receive God's forgiveness, And you don't deserve it, And grace, Is to receive God's favor, Without earning it, He says, When you're in need of that, Don't clean yourself up, Come up with a, Discipline plan, And then, Come into my throne room, And we'll agree on the terms, He says, Without fear, That's what boldness means, Without fear, And actually, It's the opposite, With confidence, Run into my throne room, And say, Father, Father, I need the mercy, That you have promised, Because I am failing, Once again, I have given in,
[36:34] To the desires of my heart, And it is evil, I'm seeing the results, Of how I'm treating people, I'm using them, I'm abusing them, I'm being selfish, With my time and energy, The church around me, Is not benefiting, Please God, Bring my conscience, Some cleansing, I am so guilty, And then, The father says, Yes, You have been cleansed, But I'm not going to leave you there, To think that you must try harder again, Because child, What you need, What does he tell Paul, God, I don't think I can do this, You need to take away this thorn, This problem, And he says, Son, My grace, Is sufficient, We think we need to be stronger in flesh, In order to endure, And he says, You need to be stronger in faith, And faith comes by grace, And so every day, Church, Every day, Throughout the day, You can stop, And ask your father, I need forgiveness again, How I have spoken,
[37:35] And acted, Is not appropriate, And God, Will you please give me the grace, To see your gospel, That my faith, Would be strong enough, To obey today, Do you know how many times, In a lifetime, You get to do that, Like three, I think, No, Every time you need it, Is what he says, He literally says, In time of need, Well that's three times an hour, Three, It's whenever we need, So if we go back to Peter, The purpose, For us, To endure, The hardships of others, And how they treat us, And the purpose for us, To not put others into hardship, Is so that when they see, Our light of life, When they see our good deeds, They go, I want your life, What hope is that, And you point them to Christ, See that is a life worth living, While waiting for our Christ,
[38:36] To come back, You've already tried, The other life, For how many years, You've already tested, To see, If indulging in the flesh, Works, And it doesn't, Yet we keep doing it, There has to come a moment, We say, God's word is true, And every man is a liar, And today is the day, We ask God, To make the gospel true, In our heart, By his grace, In Christ, Amen, Let's pray, Father, Thank you for, Giving me the strength, To preach this morning, I pray for my brothers, And sisters, That we would all, Be willing to repent, Of our flesh this week, To see that the good deeds, That we do, Are, They're of value, Even though they're imperfect, Resisting temptation, Is totally of value, Lord, May we see how beautiful, You truly are, And purify ourselves, As you are pure, And Lord, For those of us, Who are weak in faith, Strengthen it now,
[39:36] Through the table, By your spiritual power, In Christ's name, Amen, Thanks for listening, To the sermon podcast, Of Grace Reformed Church, In Spring Hill, Tennessee, Where everyone, Is in equal need of grace, To plan a visit, Or to learn more about us, Visit our website, At gracereformed.org