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[0:00] Good morning, church. I'm reading from Psalms chapter 16, verse 1 through 11, and 1 Peter 1, 3 through 5.! Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, you are my Lord. I have no good apart from you.

[0:21] For as for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom all is almighty light.

[0:32] The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply. Their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

[0:42] The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup. You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.

[0:54] Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. In the night also my heart instructs me. I have said the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

[1:14] Therefore, my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices. My flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to see all or let your Holy One see corruption.

[1:28] You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

[1:41] 1 Peter 1, 3 through 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:53] 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. Amen. To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

[2:15] Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Thank you for reading for us, Michelle.

[2:37] I want to begin this morning's sermon by asking a question. And here's the question. How do we bring true and meaningful comfort to brothers and sisters in Christ who find themselves walking through trials?

[3:02] And there's certainly a lot of things that we can share with brothers and sisters in Christ who are walking through trials, certainly depending on the nature of those trials.

[3:15] But where should we start, regardless of what those trials are? What's our starting point? Or to make it a bit more personal, what about you when you're walking through life's trials?

[3:33] What is it that you especially need to hear from brothers and sisters in Christ who wish to express care and comfort to you in your trials?

[3:49] Brothers and sisters, the truth. Brothers and sisters, the truth. The unvarnished truth.

[4:00] What we need to hear from brothers and sisters in Christ who are walking through faith is that what we need to hear from brothers and sisters in Christ. First and foremost, more than anything else, is we need to be reminded of the glorious salvation and the unchanging blessings that belong to us because of that salvation.

[4:22] That's what we need to hear from us.

[4:52] Without first and foremost reminding us that we have a glorious salvation. And there are some unchanging blessings that belong to us because of that salvation.

[5:06] And if we bring those unchanging blessings to mind, it will give us a different perspective on those trials that we are walking through.

[5:17] The reality is that in our trials, we need to be helped to move our eyes and to move our minds away from our transient and temporary trials.

[5:33] And to get them fixed on our permanent and enduring salvation that we have through the Lord Jesus Christ. And brothers and sisters, this is exactly what the apostle Peter does.

[5:49] In this letter of 1 Peter, in these introductory words that he is communicating to these scattered saints in Asia Minor as he writes this letter.

[6:00] The apostle Peter is fully aware of the trials that they are. But rather than focusing on those trials. He instead begins by turning their attention to their glorious salvation through which they can experience.

[6:17] unbounded joy in the midst of their trials. And so Peter is not ignoring their trials. He's not being insensitive to their trials.

[6:30] He is aware of those trials. He will go on to spend time talking about those trials in the body of this letter. But he starts by subordinating their trials to a more precious and important truth.

[6:47] The truth of their glorious salvation. And so, brothers and sisters, similarly, I am aware this morning.

[7:01] I couldn't help reflect on quite a number of you as I prepared this sermon. I'm aware that quite a number of you are walking through trials.

[7:13] Some extended illness. Other serious health concerns. Some of you are walking through the fire of financial difficulties and pressures.

[7:29] Some of you are facing prolonged and worrisome unemployment. Some of you are walking through and enduring marital problems.

[7:41] Relational breakdown. Of which you have no control and don't desire. And there seems to be no hopeful end in sight for you. I'm aware that some of you find yourself working week by week in environments where you're poorly treated.

[8:01] And wrongly treated. And you deserve better. And you know that. And that makes it even more difficult to work in those environments.

[8:14] Some of us are being tested by having unbelieving children. Children that we have sought to raise in the fear of the Lord.

[8:31] And yet they have turned their backs to the Lord. And turned their faces to a perishing world. And I could go on this morning.

[8:45] But the truth is that even though I may not have mentioned the trials that some of you have faced with. The truth is we all face trials in one form or another.

[8:58] And so my goal this morning following the Apostle Peter's example is to direct your attention to something that transcends your trials.

[9:13] Something that is more permanent. Something that is enduring. I want to direct our attention this morning to our glorious salvation. But first let me pray for us.

[9:30] Heavenly Father we pause in this moment to ask for your help. That you would draw near to us. Would you draw near to me Lord.

[9:43] As I seek to proclaim your word. To this congregation who in different ways and to different degrees face trials.

[9:58] Trials over which they have no control. Trials that have met them under your wise providence.

[10:11] Your sovereign care. And Lord I pray that in this moment you would cause those trials to be laid aside. And you would give us airs to hear.

[10:27] And indeed eyes to see the glorious salvation. That you have given to us. That surpasses. And endures.

[10:38] The worst trial of this life. And so Lord would you. Draw near to each one of us now. Draw near to all of us together. And speak to our hearts we pray.

[10:53] In Jesus name. Amen. As we continue our sermon series in the letter. First Peter this morning. Attention will be directed to verses.

[11:04] Verses three to five. And in verses three to five. The apostle Peter. Blesses God.

[11:20] He begins by blessing God. For his glorious salvation. And reminds the scattered saints in Asia Minor.

[11:31] Of three unchanging blessings. That belong to them. Because of God's salvation. And these.

[11:41] Three unchanging blessings. Brothers and sisters. Are especially precious. When we remember them. As we. As God's people.

[11:52] Walk through life's trials. And again. Peter's aware of this. He's aware that these saints. To whom he is writing. In Asia Minor.

[12:03] They're facing trials. Of various kinds. And he seeks to remind them. Of these blessings. That are. Theirs.

[12:14] And again. These words. That the apostle Peter. Writes to them. He's not only writing to them. They're there for us. This morning as well. So let's take them to heart. So in our remaining time.

[12:28] I want us to consider these. Three unchanging. Blessings. Of our glorious. Salvation. And the first one is. We.

[12:40] Because of our. Glorious salvation. We have a living hope. Now in order to appreciate. This living hope.

[12:51] That we have. We must appreciate. How we received it. And this is going to be. My longest point. This morning. The first point. Is the longest point. The last point. Is the shortest point.

[13:03] We need to spend some time. On this. So that we can. Really understand. How glorious. The salvation is. And why.

[13:17] The apostle Peter. Begins by blessing God. In verse three. Look again.

[13:28] At what he says. Blessed be. The God and father. Of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy. He has caused us. To be born again.

[13:39] To a living hope. Through the resurrection. Of Jesus Christ. From the dead. Peter begins.

[13:49] By blessing God. For his great mercy. That has caused us. To be born again. To a living hope. And immediately. When we.

[14:01] Hear these words. Of Peter. We should recognize. That Peter. Is drawing our attention. To something. That is amazing. And praiseworthy.

[14:13] God gave us. Great mercy. In causing us. To be born again. To a living hope. I'm pretty sure.

[14:24] All of us. This morning. If not. Certainly most of us. We've heard this term. Born again. Born again. The term born again.

[14:35] Is really one of the most. Important. Bible terms. That we'll encounter. In scripture. And yet. It is one of the most.

[14:45] Misunderstood. Of all Bible terms. It's a term. That's foreshadowed. In the Old Testament. Where God promises.

[14:57] To radically. Transform his people. For example. In Deuteronomy 30. Verse 6. God promises. To circumcise. The hearts. Of his people.

[15:09] And then. Ezekiel 36. Verses 26. To 27. God promises. To give his people. A new heart. And a new spirit. And in Jeremiah 31.

[15:22] Verse 33. God promises. To write his law. On the hearts. Of his people. And these.

[15:33] And other. Old Testament. References. Foreshadowed. A radical. Transformative. Work. That God. Was going to do.

[15:43] For his people. This is not. Behavior. You. You. This is not. Putting aside. Bad habits.

[15:54] This is a radical. Transformation. That God. Promised. That he was going to do. To people like you. And me. Who are members.

[16:05] Of Adam's fallen race. That he was going to do. Something. Radically. Transformative. When we come to.

[16:15] The New Testament. We first encounter. These words. Born again. In the gospel. Of John. Chapter 3. Where Jesus.

[16:29] Encounters. A Pharisee. A Pharisee. By the name. Of Nicodemus. Comes to him. At night. And Nicodemus. Doesn't want. To be seen. Because. The Pharisees.

[16:40] Were jealous. Of Jesus. And the Pharisees. Did not believe. In Jesus. And so Nicodemus. Comes to Jesus. He's a ruler. In Israel. But he recognizes.

[16:50] That something. Is missing. In his life. He realizes. That even. With all the position. That he has. All the scriptures. That he knows. There's something.

[17:01] Missing. So he takes. This chance. To go to Jesus. At night. And he. He starts. By saying. To Jesus. Rabbi. We know. That you have.

[17:12] Come from God. Because no one. Can do the things. That you're doing. Unless. He's sent. By God. And God. Is with him. But Jesus.

[17:23] Does not engage. Nicodemus. In his conversation. Jesus. Changes. The conversation. And he. Redirects it. Away from himself. To Nicodemus. And he says.

[17:33] Nicodemus. Unless. One is born again. He cannot see.

[17:44] The kingdom. Of God. Interestingly. Nicodemus. Misunderstands. What Jesus says. He totally.

[17:55] Misunderstands. What Jesus says. And so. Nicodemus. Says to Jesus. Well. How can. How can. How can a man. How can a man. Like me. Enter the second time.

[18:08] Into his mother's woman. Be born. He totally misunderstood. What Jesus said. And Nicodemus. Response. Is very interesting.

[18:21] Because. Even though. We are. Some 2,000 years. Are removed. From. Nicodemus. Many of us. When we hear. The term. Born again. We respond.

[18:32] In the same way. Nicodemus. Did. We. We understand. Born again. As something. That we must do. Nicodemus. Understood. Jesus. To be. Essentially.

[18:42] Saying to him. You need. To be. Physically. Born again. Go into. Your mother's. Room. And. Come out again. Nicodemus. Understood. Born again.

[18:52] To be something. That he. Must do. And so many people. Today. Understand. Born again. To be something. That. They. Must do. Many people.

[19:06] Believe. That born again. Is. Praying. A. So-called. Sinner's prayer. It is. Perhaps. Then. Being baptized. Perhaps. Then. Starting to pray. And then. Read your bible. And then.

[19:16] Join your church. Brothers and sisters. None of those. Activities. None of them. Represents. What it means.

[19:28] To be born again. Jesus goes on. To explain to Nicodemus. In John chapter 3. What it means. To be born again. He says. Nicodemus.

[19:40] To be born again. You need to be born again. Not by going into your mother's womb. But you need to be born again. Of the spirit. And he tells Nicodemus.

[19:52] He says. That which is born of flesh. Is flesh. And that which is born of the spirit. Is spirit. In other words. He is saying. That which is born of flesh. Is physical birth.

[20:03] And that which is born of spirit. Is spiritual birth. This term born again. Literally means. To be born from above. Or to be begotten from above.

[20:15] And the idea is that. In the same way. That we've had a birth from below. We've had a birth from this earth. We've had a birth from an earthly father.

[20:26] We need a birth from above. From a heavenly father. In the same way. That an earthly father. Through a sperm.

[20:36] Brought physical life into being. Is in the same way. That a heavenly father. Through the Holy Spirit. Will bring. Spiritual life into being.

[20:50] And Jesus says to Nicodemus. Nicodemus. If you're going to see the kingdom of heaven. Your physical birth. Is not enough. You need. This. Other birth.

[21:00] But here's what's. What's. Important to see. In the same way. That Nicodemus. Could do nothing. To bring about.

[21:11] His physical birth. In the same way. Nicodemus. Really was dependent. Upon his earthly father. To bring about. His spiritual birth. It's the same way.

[21:21] That Nicodemus. And the truth is. None of us. Could bring about. Our spiritual birth. It is done from above.

[21:34] It is done for us. We are passive. In this act. Of being born. Again. To be born again.

[21:47] Is to be awakened. From spiritual death. To be born again. Is really to be resurrected. From spiritual death. It means to become.

[21:58] Spiritually alive. And when we are born again. Then we are able. To repent. Of our sins.

[22:08] Then we are able. To put our faith. In the Lord. Jesus Christ. And both repentance. And faith. Are gifts. From God. They are gifts. That God grants.

[22:20] To us. And theologians. Together. Say that. Repentance. And faith. Repentance. Away from sin. And repent. And faith. In the Lord. Jesus Christ.

[22:30] Together. As conversion. That is. What happens. To us spiritually. God does that. It's a work.

[22:41] Of God. And his spirit. It is not something. That we can bring about. Being born again. Is from above. It is an act. Of divine.

[22:52] Initiative. It is an act. Of divine. Mercy. We do nothing. To bring it to pass. It is all of God. And it is all of grace. And this is why.

[23:05] Peter begins. This is why. Peter. Extols God. He blesses God. Because this is great mercy. Brothers and sisters. God caused us.

[23:16] To be born again. And it is because. Of being born again. That we have. This. Living hope.

[23:30] And we can only see. And appreciate. God's mercy. When we think about. The true condition. That we were in. Our helpless. And lost condition.

[23:41] That we were in. Before God came to us. Through his Holy Spirit. And gave us new birth. God was not obligated. To do it. God is obligated.

[23:51] To save no one. All of us. Deserve hell. Every one of us. All of Adam's race. Deserves hell.

[24:03] We deserve judgment. And wrath. But God gave us mercy. And grace. Through. The new birth. Now I wouldn't be surprised.

[24:15] If some of you are here. Doing this for the first time. And if you are. You shouldn't be troubled. By it. And the reason is that.

[24:27] When we experience. A new birth. We really don't understand. In and of ourselves. What's happening. To us. The pattern.

[24:41] In scripture. Is that. God's people. Come to understand. What happened. In their salvation. In retrospect. And this will be seen.

[24:52] For example. In. The letter of Ephesians. Where Paul lays out. To. The Ephesians. To the Ephesian church. And by extension. To all Christians. What happened.

[25:04] In their salvation. How they came. To be. Saved. And the truth is. Unless we have had. Some understanding. Of these things.

[25:14] Before coming to Christ. When we come to Christ. We're not even. Mindful of God. In the equation. Of. Our salvation. We just think.

[25:28] Well. We're having this experience. We are. Making a decision. We're responding. In a certain way. You know. I thought of my own. Salvation experience. As I prepared. I came to Christ.

[25:39] At the age of 13. At a youth camp. God saved me. In that youth camp. But it took me. 27 years.

[25:49] Of my Christian. Life. To really understand. What took place. On that night. If you talked with me.

[26:02] I would have told you. That I decided. To give the Lord Jesus. My heart. And live for him. I had.

[26:20] Me centered. Me centered. Understanding. Of my salvation. That night. And again. For 27 years. But only in retrospect.

[26:31] Through God's word. I was able to see. To realize. That that night. The only reason. I responded. To Christ. Was because.

[26:42] Christ. First. Came to me. Through his Holy Spirit. And activated. And activated. My heart. Convicted me. Of my sin. And enabled me.

[26:54] To repent. It was only through. The work of God. That sins. I love. To commit.

[27:05] The thought of them. Began to grieve. My heart. Not because. All of a sudden. I became. Righteous. And holy. But because. God. Did a transforming.

[27:16] Work in my heart. He gave me new birth. He opened my eyes. I was blind. And then I was able to see. God did that for me.

[27:29] And 27 years later. When I understood that. I was. A pastor of this church. It brought me to my knees.

[27:41] Literally. I fell to my knees. In humility. And in utter amazement. And gratitude to God. That he saved me.

[27:57] And to realize that if he didn't. I'd still be lost. I'd still be in my sin. Enjoying sin. On my way to hell. But God had mercy on me that night.

[28:10] And interestingly. That night. In that youth camp. As far as I could remember. I was the only one. Who responded to.

[28:21] An invitation. To come to Christ. And it was only in retrospect. I realized. It wasn't because. I was more righteous. I was more holy.

[28:32] It was because God. In his divine mercy. In that moment. Worked on my heart. And brought me to himself. Some of you may be wondering.

[28:44] Well why did that take so long? Why did it take you 27 years. Many of which you are a pastor. Why did it take you so long. To see that. And here's my best response.

[28:55] To that question. If you're asking that question. I brought. To my reading of the Bible. Certain presuppositions.

[29:07] Certain ways that I'd been taught. Certain things I'd been taught. And so even when I was reading. Particular things in the Bible. I was understanding it.

[29:17] In a way. That distorted. What I was reading. And at 40 years old. I heard a sermon.

[29:30] Heard a sermon. On Ephesians chapter 1. And my eyes were opened. And that experience. Was like being born again. Again.

[29:41] Because I understood. For the first time. How merciful God was to me. And brothers and sisters.

[29:53] If you understand that. If you realize. That your salvation came about. Because of the mercy of God. God rescued you from. Going to hell.

[30:05] Likewise. You would. Become utterly amazed. And grateful. For the great mercy. That God.

[30:16] Showed you. That he was not obligated. To show you. Jesus told Nicodemus.

[30:28] He said. Nicodemus. The. The person who's born again. He says. It's like the wind. He said. You can't tell. Where the wind is going.

[30:39] Or where it's coming. Where it's coming from. So it is. That everyone. Who's born of the spirit. And essentially. What he was saying. To Nicodemus. Nicodemus.

[30:50] The new birth. Is mysterious. You can see the effects. Of it. But you can't understand. All the inner workings. And the mechanics of it. You can see the wind.

[31:01] Blowing through the leaves. Of the trees. But you can't tell. Where it has come from. And where it is going. Jesus said. So it is. With everyone.

[31:12] Who's born. Of the spirit. If this is new to you. This one. I want to encourage you. To read. John chapter 3. I want to also encourage you.

[31:24] To read Ephesians. Chapter. One. Read Ephesians. Chapters. One. To three. And if you're not amazed. At God's mercy. You can be sure.

[31:36] That. You've not understood. What you read. You should pray again. And read it again. And ask the Lord. To help you.

[31:48] Peter says. In verse 3. That we were born again. To a living hope. Through the resurrection. Of Jesus. From the dead. And the idea here. Is that we have union. With Christ. And we share.

[31:59] In the benefits. Of his life. His death. And his resurrection. See this is the amazing thing. About. What God has done.

[32:11] For us. In Jesus Christ. Jesus not only died. For us. He lived. For us. Jesus kept.

[32:22] The law perfectly. Which all of us. Have to keep. The law perfectly. In order to. Be able. To have eternal life. And to please God. God. And Jesus did it.

[32:32] On behalf. Of all those. Who are his elect. And whom God. Through his spirit.

[32:44] Gives new birth. Jesus did it. For all of them. He lived for them. He died for them. He was raised for them. And we have a union.

[32:54] With Christ. That can never be broken. This is the living hope.

[33:05] That we. Have as a result. Of the new birth. It's an enduring hope. And the idea.

[33:16] That. That Peter. Is. Helping us to see. When he talks. With this. This living hope. Is that it is a hope. That cannot even be shattered. By death. It is a resurrection.

[33:28] Kind of hope. It is a hope. That. Endures. And survives. And continues. Into eternity. It's not like. The hopes of this life. I think all of us.

[33:40] Know that the hopes. Of this life. They are. They are. Expectations. That we have. About people. Or things. They are. Generally about the future. And we all know what it is.

[33:50] To have dashed hopes. And disappointed hopes. That's not the hope. That Peter is talking about. Peter is talking. About a living hope. That comes to us. Through the resurrection.

[34:01] Of Jesus Christ. From the dead. Through the new birth. It is something. Outside of this world. We enjoy it. In this world. But it's something. Outside of this world. It is a hope.

[34:11] That cannot be destroyed. It cannot die. It cannot be crushed. It cannot be. Disappointed. This living hope.

[34:23] Is ours. And it endures. Through the worst. That life can bring us. Which is death. Death itself. But here's the reality.

[34:35] The reality is. That we sometimes forget this. Sometimes in life's trials. We can forget. That we have this living hope. We have this enduring hope. Can never be taken away from us.

[34:48] And just as these precious saints. Stone Peter wrote. Needed to be reminded. We likewise. Need to be reminded. So brothers and sisters. It doesn't matter what you're facing.

[34:59] This morning. It doesn't matter what you'll face. This week. Or in the weeks. And months to come. Because you've experienced. A new birth. You belong to Jesus.

[35:11] You have. You have. A living hope. That endures. Above. Every trial. The worst trial of this life. And it's a hope in this life.

[35:25] And it's a hope for the life. To come. The second blessing. That the apostle Peter says. That God. God's people have. Is a heavenly inheritance.

[35:41] As what Peter tells us in verse four. Look again at how he says it. But let's start it. In verse three. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy.

[35:51] He has caused us to be born again. To a living hope. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. From the dead. Peter says.

[36:02] That we have been born again. To an inheritance. That is. Imperishable. Undefiled. And unfading.

[36:14] Kept in heaven. For you. That's what he says in verse four. You've been born again. To an inheritance. That is imperishable. Undefiled.

[36:24] And unfading. Kept. In heaven. For you. Now last Sunday. I pointed out that. Peter. In this letter.

[36:36] Employs a lot of. References. That find themselves. In the Old Testament. In the experience. Of the nation.

[36:48] Of Israel. The Old Testament. We have a lot of language. That pertain to. The. Old covenant people of God. And what Peter is doing. Is Peter is employing.

[36:59] Very similar language. In some cases. The same words. To refer to. God's new covenant people. In the New Testament. In verse four.

[37:10] He's doing the same thing. With the use of this word. Inheritance. In the Old Testament. Under the Old Covenant. When God brought the children. Of Israel out of Egypt.

[37:21] He gave them. The land of Canaan. As an inheritance. But Israel was unfaithful. Because they were unfaithful.

[37:33] Their enemies. Would often invade the land. And plunder the land. And eventually. They were exiled. From the land. They were evicted. From the land.

[37:45] And the land. Was overrun. By their enemies. And occupied. By their enemies. As much of it. Remains. To this day. In verse four.

[37:57] Peter tells us. That we have a very different. Inheritance. Than what Israel had. It's not like the land of Canaan. That could be plundered.

[38:09] That could be invaded. By. Enemies. It was not like a land. That could be lost. Peter says.

[38:19] Our inheritance. Is imperishable. Undefiled. And unfading. It cannot be corrupted. It cannot be polluted.

[38:32] And the passage of time. Will not cause it to fade. Why? Peter tells us. Because God himself. Keeps it.

[38:43] In heaven. For us. That's what Peter says. He says. Our inheritance. Is kept in heaven. For us. You know. We're memorizing.

[38:54] Right now. How. We're to store up treasures. In heaven. We're. Moth. And rust.

[39:06] Cannot destroy it. That's what Peter's talking about here. The treasures that Peter's talking up. Talking about. That we lay up. Those. Those. In a sense. Are.

[39:17] We're to store up treasures. Stewarding. And using. The resources. That God has given to us. Our time. And other. And other material resources. For the purposes of the kingdom. And we get rewards in that way.

[39:27] We store up treasures in that way. That's not what he's talking about here. Peter's talking about an inheritance. You don't work for inheritance. You receive an inheritance.

[39:44] An inheritance is a sheer gift. With no obligation. Given by. The giver.

[39:56] One of the realities. I think we all. Know about inheritance is though. Is they can be blown. In a short period of time. And even when inheritances.

[40:09] Are wisely stewarded. They still don't last for eternity. Sometimes inheritances. Are lost. Due to no fault. Of the one who inherited it.

[40:20] Sometimes businesses. That are inherited. They fail. Good investments. That are inherited. They sometimes go bad. Sometimes a law changes.

[40:31] Or a policy of the government changes. Or a war. And a major inheritance. Can be lost. This is why.

[40:47] We should hear the words of the psalmist. In the first scripture reading. This morning in Psalm 16. The psalmist is so mindful. That there's nothing permanent.

[40:57] In this life. The psalmist is mindful. That he is living. In a world. With people. Who are chasing after other gods. Sacrificing to those gods.

[41:09] And the main reason. That people sacrifice to gods. In paganism. Is to get something from them. They believe that. There was a God.

[41:19] Who would enhance the crops. They'd worship that God. If they believe there was a God. Who could cause them to be fertile. They'll worship that God. If they believe there was a God. That could protect them. They'd worship that God.

[41:31] But the psalmist knows. And so he says in verse 2. He says you. He says to God. You are my Lord. I have no good. Apart from you.

[41:42] This is David. Massive wealth. Almost anything you could desire. And this is what he says. God I have no good.

[41:54] Apart from you. He says in verses 5 and 6. The Lord is my chosen portion. And my cup. You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me.

[42:06] In pleasant places. Indeed. I have. A beautiful inheritance. He wasn't thinking about the things that he had. He was thinking about something that God gave him. That was enduring.

[42:19] Beyond everything. That was all. Around him. Brothers and sisters. If this world is not our home. If this is truly not our home. We have no true inheritance here.

[42:35] Nor should we look for it. No lasting inheritance. But God has promised to his people. An enduring inheritance.

[42:45] That he keeps. One that we didn't work for. One that we don't deserve. But he keeps it for us.

[42:59] Peter doesn't go into any detail about this inheritance. And indeed. Elsewhere in scripture. We find no details. About this inheritance. That God says he will keep for us.

[43:10] But we know that he cannot lie. And we also know that if he did give us details. We'd all be distracted. We wouldn't want to work. We'd want to die.

[43:22] We'd be of no use. And so God wisely has told us. The God who cannot lie. He said. I have an inheritance for you. Can't fade.

[43:34] Can't be destroyed. Won't perish. And I am keeping it. In heaven. For you. But although we don't have details.

[43:44] Here's what we know. Here's what we can be sure of. The inheritance that the God of the universe. Has for us. His beloved people. Is a glorious inheritance.

[43:56] Inheritance. And it far exceeds. It outshines. It outlasts. Any inheritance. That we could possibly get.

[44:08] In this life. One of the other realities of. Inheritances that we may get in this life. Is sometimes when the inheritance does last.

[44:21] We don't last. We die. And we leave the inheritance. To those. Who we leave. Behind. But the good news is.

[44:34] That this inheritance. That we get through the new birth. This inheritance that God says. He keeps. In heaven for us. God not only. Keeps the inheritance for us. But he says.

[44:45] He keeps us. For. The inheritance. This is my third and final point. God. God. Keeps his people. For the inheritance.

[44:57] That he keeps for them. And this third point is. A preserved people. That's what Peter says. In verse five. Again. I want us to read it.

[45:08] Let's start in verse three. 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.

[45:18] Of Jesus Christ. From the dead. To an inheritance. That is imperishable. Undefiled. And unfading. Kept in heaven. For you.

[45:29] Who. You. Who. By God's power. Are being guarded. Through faith. For a salvation.

[45:40] Ready to be revealed. In the last time. Peter tells us. In verse five. That the one. Who is keeping our inheritance.

[45:51] Is guarding us. Meaning he is preserving us. He's guarding us by his power. Guarding us by his unlimited power.

[46:04] His unmatched power. For. But notice that he is not guarding us. In the sense that he's keeping us. Physically. From every danger.

[46:17] Toil and snare. You know. Sometimes we could sing that. Sometimes we could sing that. He has brought us through dangerous. Toil and snares. But you know what. If we live in this fallen life. Long enough.

[46:28] Eventually. Dangerous toil and snares. Come out. At our doorstep. This is not a promise. To shield us. From hardships.

[46:38] And calamities. When some of God's people. Are spared from these things. Others of God's people. Are experiencing them. This was obvious.

[46:56] To the people. To home. Peter wrote. They were experiencing. Trials. Even as Peter. Wrote to them. Some of them. Their very lives.

[47:06] Were daily at risk. When Peter. Was writing to them. And this should be obvious. To us. As well. Brothers and sisters. We're no different. From them.

[47:19] We are receiving. These words. Of the apostle Peter. In the midst. Of our own trials. Some whose trials. Are. Their bodies.

[47:29] Are ravaged with. Illness. Illness. But although. Peter. Peter. Is not. In any way.

[47:39] Promising us. That God. Protects. Our bodies. He's not promising that. God. What he's promising.

[47:52] Is that God. Will preserve. Us. For the fullness. Of our salvation. For the consummation. Of our salvation. That is ready. To be revealed. At the last day.

[48:02] It is ready. It's not being ready. It is ready. And the only thing. It's waiting for. Is the last day. Being ready. It is ready. To be revealed.

[48:12] On the last day. And God. Preserves us for that. Doesn't preserve. Our bodies. We temporarily. Reside. In these bodies. If the Lord.

[48:25] Tarries. If he doesn't come sooner. We're all going to die. Our bodies. Are going to be decayed. Or they're going to be cremated. Something's going to happen. To our bodies. But we ourselves. The spirits.

[48:35] Who live in these bodies. God says. I will keep you. I will preserve you. And what we know. Is to be absent. From these bodies. Is to be present.

[48:46] With the Lord. When we belong to him. That's the promise. That we have. That God keeps us. Our salvation.

[48:58] In him. Is secure. The good work. That he began. In us. He will complete. To the day of Jesus Christ. This is one of the blessings.

[49:10] Of the new birth. God loses none. Of those. Whom he saves. None of them. None of them.

[49:26] And this is. New to you this morning. Or have you questioned this. This morning. Hear these words. From Jesus. In John chapter 10.

[49:40] Verses 27 to 30. We memorize this last year. Jesus says this. My sheep. Hear my voice. And I know them.

[49:52] And they follow me. I give them. I give them. Eternal life. Eternal life. And they. Will never. Perish. And no one.

[50:04] Will snatch them. Out of my hand. My father. Who has given them to me. The father gives us. To the son.

[50:15] 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.

[50:26] And the father. Are one. Brothers and sisters. Eternal life. By its very nature. Cannot be lost. If it is lost.

[50:37] It cannot be eternal. And anyone. Who claims. To have lost. Their salvation. Never truly had it. Or.

[50:52] They're gravely. Mistaken. And on that. Final day. Will be greatly. Surprised. That though they.

[51:03] Thought they. Left the Lord. He never left them. Because he holds on. To all of his own. And there will be.

[51:15] Some surprised saints. There will be. Some surprised saints. Who find out. That these words. Are true. That if God. Ever holds.

[51:25] On to us. He will always. Hold on to us. Brothers and sisters.

[51:36] What a. Wonderful promise. That we have. In these verses. That no matter. What happens to us. In this life. We're going to make it home. We're going to make it home.

[51:48] Because God. Preserves us. To the end. He gives us. A living hope. He gives us. A secure. Inheritance.

[51:58] In heaven. And he preserves us. To the very end. Let's not forget this. As we walk through. Our transient trials.

[52:08] In this life. That our trials. Cannot take away. This wonderful. Blessing. These blessings. That we have. Through the new birth.

[52:19] That God has given to us. This living hope. This heavenly inheritance. And being God's. Preserved. People.

[52:31] He's preserving us for. A salvation. That's completed. It's waiting for one thing. And that's the last day. Ready to be revealed.

[52:44] On that last day. And God will hold us. And God will keep us. Until that day. What a wonderful promise. What a wonderful blessing.

[52:56] To have in this life. That home is already secured. For those who belong. To the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. If you're here this morning.

[53:10] And. You don't know Jesus Christ. You also don't know that hope. But you can know that hope. Come to Jesus.

[53:21] Trust in Jesus. Don't wait for something dramatic. If he's. Convicting your heart.

[53:32] Come to Jesus. Right where you sit. Come to Jesus. And put your trust. In him. Let's pray. Heavenly Father.

[53:49] We thank you for. The glorious salvation. That you've given to us. The glorious salvation. That you've given to us. The glorious salvation.

[54:00] That you've given to us. The living hope. The heavenly inheritance. That we have. And the preservation. That we have. And the preservation. As your people. That we have.

[54:22] As your people. That we get to enjoy. Lord. I pray that this would temper the perspective that all of us would have of trials that we face this morning or whenever we face them.

[54:38] And Father, I pray for those rather present or watching online who don't have this present hope. Have mercy on them, Lord. Open their eyes and give them new birth.

[54:55]  In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.