[0:00] The hope of nations Savior, he can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save Forever, author of salvation He rose and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave So take me as you find me All my fears and failures You've built my life again
[1:01] I gave my life to follow Everything I believe in Now I surrender Savior, he can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save Forever, author of salvation He rose and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave My God is mighty to save Jesus probiotic boots on earth Jesus Rouge Stupid Jenny
[2:07] Saviour, he can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save Forever, author of salvation He holds and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave He can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save Forever, author of salvation He holds and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave You hear me?
[3:31] You hear me when I call You are my morning song Though darkness fills the night It cannot hide the light Who shall I fear?
[3:51] You crush the enemy Underneath my feet You are my sword and shield Though troubles linger still Who shall I fear?
[4:10] I know who goes before me I know who stands behind The God of angel armies Is always by my side The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine The God of angel armies Is always by my side My strength is in your name For you alone can save You will deliver me Yours is the victory Whom shall I fear?
[5:07] I know who goes before me I know who stands behind Who shall I fear Whom shall I fear?
[5:26] The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine. The God of Angel of East is always by my side.
[5:41] And nothing fought against me shall stand. You hold the whole world in your hands.
[5:55] I'm holding on to your promises. You are faithful, you are faithful.
[6:08] And nothing fought against me shall stand. You hold the whole world in your hands.
[6:21] I'm holding on to your promises. You are faithful, you are faithful, you are faithful.
[6:37] I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind.
[6:50] The God of Angel of East is always by my side. The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine.
[7:05] The God of Angel of East is always by my side. I know who goes before me.
[7:15] I know who stands behind. The God of Angel of East is always by my side.
[7:25] The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine. Well, it's all gone quiet.
[7:37] It must be time to start. So welcome, everybody, to our morning worship here at Union Baptist Church. And this, of course, is part of our weekend at home on the theme of confidence. Confidence in the gospel, confidence in God.
[7:50] And you'll notice that my lectern seems to have been warmed up. I don't know what the preaching will be like this morning. We're looking forward to Joel speaking. A big thank you to everybody who was involved in making yesterday such a wonderful day.
[8:03] We will be putting on the worship and the song worship and the two sermons that were given in the morning onto the website over the next few days. So if you weren't able to be here, you can catch up.
[8:16] We were having two main themes in the morning. One was looking at how we can be confident even in times of crisis. And certainly many of us are facing those as a nation, but sometimes in our personal lives as well.
[8:30] And also we looked at confidence in our everyday lives. And you'll notice on the stage here there is a board up which talks about front lines. And what's happened here is different people have put some kind of little card which explains their front line, where they meet others who don't yet know Jesus.
[8:50] And so we really encourage you to have a look at that afterwards and see what front lines people have. And perhaps you can think about your own front line as you think about that during this season, looking at confidence on our front lines.
[9:03] But let's come to God now in prayer. And can I invite the worship team to come up as we pray? Let's turn to him and call upon our Heavenly Father. Loving Heavenly Father, we do thank you that in a world of change and certainly an anxious world, we can have confidence in you, our great God, who is true and loving and kind.
[9:28] We pray that you would strengthen us as we worship and declare truths from the Bible. And we ask you, Lord, to quicken us by your spirit, that our worship would be in spirit and in truth.
[9:41] Hear our prayer, Lord. Amen. Can I invite you to stand and we're going to learn a new song together. Well, you learned it yesterday if you were here. It's called You've Already Won.
[9:52] So let's stand and worship God. There's peace that outlasts darkness.
[10:26] Hope that's in the blood. There's future grace that's mine today that Jesus Christ has won.
[10:41] So I can face tomorrow, for tomorrow's in your hands. And all I need you will provide, just like you always have.
[10:59] Stop fighting a battle you've already won. No matter what comes my way.
[11:12] I will overcome. Don't know what you're doing. But I know what you've done.
[11:24] I'm fighting a battle you've already won. There's mercy in the waiting manner for today.
[11:45] And when it's gone. And when it's gone, I know you're not. You are my hope and safe. And when the sea is breaking, your spirit is my help.
[12:05] You'll fix my eyes on Jesus Christ. And I'll say that it is well. Oh, I know that it is well.
[12:17] I'm fighting a battle you've already won. No matter what comes my way.
[12:31] I will overcome. I don't know what comes my way. I don't know what you're doing. But I know what you've done.
[12:42] I'm fighting a battle you've already won. I know how the story ends.
[13:01] We will be with you again. You're my Savior, my defense.
[13:17] No more fear in life or death. I know how the story ends.
[13:33] I know how the story ends. We will be with you again. You're my Savior, my defense.
[13:45] No more fear in life or death. I know how the story ends.
[13:58] Somebody in a battle that you've already won. No matter what comes my way.
[14:09] I will overcome. I know how the story ends. I know what you're doing. But I know what you've done.
[14:20] I'm fighting a battle you've already won. I'm fighting a battle.
[14:31] I'm fighting a battle. You've already won. And we remain standing as we continue in worship And we talk about the God of angel armies Who is by our side Let's worship God together You hear me when I call You are my morning song Though darkness fills the night It cannot hide the light
[15:33] Who shall I fear? You crush the enemy Underneath my feet You are my sword and shield Though troubles linger still Who shall I fear?
[15:58] I know who goes before me I know who stands behind The God of angel armies Is always by my side The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine The God of angel armies Is always by my side My strength is in your name For you alone can save You will deliver me Yours is the victory Who shall I fear?
[16:51] Who shall I fear? Who shall I fear? I know who goes before me I know who stands behind The God of angel armies Is always by my side The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine The God of angel armies is always by my side And the things that against me shall stand You hold the world in your hands I'm holding on to your promises You are faithful, you are faithful And the things that against me shall stand
[17:53] You hold the world in your hands I'm holding on to your promises You are faithful, you are faithful You are faithful I know who stands before me, I know who stands behind The God of angel armies is always by my side The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine The God of angel armies is always by my side Amen Amen Amen
[18:54] Amen has been carefully, carefully practiced yesterday, is about a group of people who knew that God's angel armies were by their side. Over to you, Karen.
[19:19] Morning. I'm good you're awake. That's pleasing. For those of you who saw this yesterday, I do apologise. It won't be the same today.
[19:30] Yesterday was the premiere. We had red carpet treatment and everything. So it won't be quite the same. This one's real. Is that right?
[19:40] No. Right, okay. And a lot of imagination is required. Now I've lost my script again. There it is. Okay. So, this is a golden statue. You get that, don't you? You can see it, can't you? Okay, it's red gold, obviously. Really, really precious stuff. But this is my golden statue for the story. So if I can have the king come and join me up here in the Herald.
[20:07] Okay. Do you want to go? That's it. And I'm going to get out of the way. Because that's always the best thing. I'm going to get out of this side. Okay. Are you ready? Are the ready? Fabulous. Okay then. One day, King Nebuchadnezzar, his herald, made an announcement.
[20:35] All wise men and governors must go to the plain of Dura. The king has a surprise for you. When the wise men and governors got there, they found the biggest statue they had ever seen. And at its feet was the biggest band they had ever seen. At the sound of the trumpet, the horn, the bagpipe, and the harp, you must all bow down and worship this golden statue.
[21:10] The herald shouted, anyone who disobeys will be thrown into a flaming, fiery furnace. The band began to play and everyone worshipped the statue.
[21:31] Mary. Come on, that's the platform. Well, almost everyone. For there were three men who did not bow down and worship. Shadrach, Meshach, Meshach, and Abednego. These were men who liked to say no. They'd said no before, but that's another story. When King Nebuchadnezzar saw them, he was very angry.
[22:02] Who dares defy my order? He growled. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, some men said. Men who didn't like foreigners from Jerusalem having such important jobs.
[22:15] Bring them to me at once. Growled Nebuchadnezzar. So the men who liked to say no were dragged before the king. You heard the order.
[22:38] Growled Nebuchadnezzar. And you did not obey. Will you worship the statue now? No, said Shadrach.
[22:51] We will not worship your statue. Our God has told us that this would be wrong. No, said Meshach.
[23:06] And we will not forget our God or the land he gave us, the land from which we were taken. No, said Abednego.
[23:17] And our God will not forget us. Then off to the furnace. Growled the king. And make it seven times hotter than it's been before and tie them up so they cannot escape.
[23:28] So the men who liked to say no were thrown into the furnace. Its flames were so hot that the men who threw them in were burned up in an instant.
[23:41] But things were different for the three friends. They weren't burning at all. They weren't even sweating. And they weren't alone.
[23:52] There, beside them, stood an angel, flickering like a furnace. He touched their ropes with a finger.
[24:08] And the ropes just burned right through and fell away. But there wasn't even a blister on the skin of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
[24:22] God is with you, whispered the angel. You have nothing to fear. Now Nebuchadnezzar's lips were no longer twisted in an angry snarl.
[24:34] Nope. They hung open in amazement. We threw three men into the furnace, he said. But look, there are four men in there now.
[24:45] The herald crept closer and said, It must be an angel sent by the god these men refuse to forget.
[24:57] If so, he is a very powerful god, for they are unharmed. Nebuchadnezzar leapt to his feet and he ordered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to come out.
[25:09] And everyone gathered around them to have a closer look. And then the king said, Praise be to the god of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the one god.
[25:21] They did not forget him and he did not forget them. I therefore command that no one shall say anything bad about this god. And what is more, I shall give Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego even more important jobs in my kingdom.
[25:36] Then he looked at his three friends. Surely you can say yes to that. The three friends looked at each other. Then they looked at the king. No problem.
[25:52] Thank you very much for listening. Well, the premiere may have been good, but I thought the encore was excellent.
[26:06] Yeah, just don't go down there. We're going to obviously be very thankful to God. But we're going to confess our sins now to God, recognizing we don't always recognize his presence and often worry unnecessarily.
[26:21] So we're going to sing. So I hope our music group will come up now. And I'll just say a short prayer before we sing, Purify My Heart. So loving Lord, sometimes in our world it feels like we're going through a bit of a furnace.
[26:36] We pray that each one of us here who've put our trust in you, Lord Jesus, would come through as gold. We confess, Lord, that we sometimes just imagine we're walking alone and you're not with us.
[26:49] Forgive us when we have such little faith. And strengthen us today as we hear your word, as we sing your praises, as we call out to you in prayer, that we might walk closely like our three friends in the story we've just heard from the Old Testament.
[27:06] Hear our prayer. Amen. Can I invite you to stand? Purify my heart.
[27:36] Let me be as gold And precious silver Purify my heart Let me be as gold Pure gold Refine as gold My heart's one desire Is to be holy Set upon for you, Lord I choose to be holy Set upon for you, my love Master, ready to do your will
[28:36] Purify my heart Cleanse me from within And make me holy Purify my heart Cleanse me from my sin Deep within Refine as gold My heart's one desire My heart's one desire Is to be holy Set upon for you, Lord I choose to be holy Set upon for you, my master
[29:39] Ready to do your will Ready to do your will And Father, we thank you that to know, to do your will, we need to hear your word.
[29:59] And so we pray for our children as they go out to their groups. We pray that they'd learn wonderful things from your word and walk in your ways all the days of their life. And we pray for us here as we hear your word and that Joel will bring. Help us to humble ourselves and receive it gratefully.
[30:17] Amen. Amen. Do take a seat and if the children can go, the young people are staying in, but if the children could now go, that would be great. And Andy's going to come as they go and lead us in intercessions.
[30:32] Thanks very much, Andy. Thank you. That wasn't in the job description.
[31:05] Let's come before the Lord in prayer. Let's pray. Gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we come into your presence with humility, acknowledging your wonder and majesty, bringing before you these our prayers of intercession.
[31:20] Over the past week, there have been times when we've done, thought or said things that we shouldn't have. Father, please forgive us and strengthen our faith to live our lives as pleased as you.
[31:33] As we've just sung, purify our hearts. We pray for the cost of living crisis that's affecting a lot of people at the moment, not only impacting on well-being, but mental health also.
[31:47] We thank you that there are many voluntary institutions in our town. CAP, helping people with debt. One can trust. The soon-to-start-up team here at Union to supply meals.
[31:59] There's a food pantry at Christ Church up in Flagler Heath. And there are many Medellin food hubs around, helping people with supplying food and other things that they need. We pray that these organisations and others will continue to have the resources they require.
[32:15] Bless them, we pray. Amjad's weekly book table ministry on the high street reaches out to the Muslim background believers. We thank you for his calling and commitment to bringing your word to the Pakistani community in our town.
[32:32] We pray that he may be encouraged by the responses, conversations and relationships he has. We pray that eight people found employment with CAP support last year.
[32:43] And we press the new course that started last week. Thank you for all the people involved. Thank you for all the people involved. That they may know your guidance and your presence in all that they do too. We remember before you the chaplains that are at work in our town.
[32:58] Working with the police, hospitals, university, up there in John Lewis's, on the high street market, in the shops in Eden and along Despera Road, Castle Street and Crenton Street.
[33:11] Lord, as they all listen and support the people they meet, give them opportunities to tell them of your love and saving grace. Lord, we just cannot imagine what the daughters and partner of Nicola Bulli are going through at this time.
[33:28] Lord, we pray your presence and comfort them as they seek answers. Let the Christian community be able to show your love to them. We see on social media the dramatic events and subsequent devastation due to the earthquake in southern Turkey and North Syria.
[33:46] The aid agency's strapline is the earthquake lasted minutes. The aftermath will last for years. Father, as time goes on, we pray that as the government seeks to rebuild the infrastructure and the population rebuild their lives, that you would give them wisdom and discernment, avoiding corruption to build a better future for that region.
[34:10] Ukraine is fearful for another invasion soon. We pray for the people of Ukraine, that as they live in extreme circumstances, that they would be able to survive.
[34:22] Give the Western government wisdom as to what aid to give to Ukraine without escalating the conflict wider. And that we may see an end to this destruction and mayhem there.
[34:36] Father, as we see around us signs of spring coming in our gardens, in the parks, how can we just not thank you and realise that all you do for us and give to us?
[34:48] We just know you're in control. Give us a faith to hold on. As we come to the act of communion in a second, we pray prepare our hearts and minds, enable us to truly commune with you.
[35:02] Once again we ask, purify our hearts. All these things we ask in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
[35:12] Amen. Thank you very much, Andy. May I invite the deacons who are serving to come forward?
[35:24] It's great having drama, but it is a bit of a drama, isn't it? So, we welcome all who know and love the Lord Jesus and are seeking to walk in his ways to the table which he offers us, of bread and wine.
[35:50] And so we ask each of us to examine our hearts. We've thought about that in our intercessions and our song, Purify My Heart. And we need to remember the events that led up to this meal.
[36:05] The events of an unjust and cruel court hearing in the middle of a night of the Lord Jesus. We remember a betrayal of a disciple of his for 30 pieces of silver.
[36:24] Andrew's keeping an eye on me. We remember all sorts of things about those who were cursing Jesus and saying untruths about him.
[36:38] We remember a crown of thorns. I wonder what you remember about the events that led up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Let's just take a moment to think about that and then I'll lead us in a prayer.
[36:53] Amen. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life.
[37:12] Whoever comes to me will never be hungry. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. So come to me, says Jesus, all who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.
[37:26] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
[37:40] The apostle Paul said of this meal the following. For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.
[37:52] That the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread and when he'd given thanks he broke it and said, This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
[38:05] In the same way he took the cup after supper saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again.
[38:23] Let's give thanks for this meal before we take bread and wine. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the extent of your love and devotion to all mankind.
[38:38] In going all the way to the cross. Receiving in your body punishment for our sin, our wrongdoings and the evil in the world.
[38:48] We can't imagine what you bore, but we are so very grateful today. As we look to your cross this morning, we pray that you would again shape our hearts, reshape them, take away our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh.
[39:10] We pray that as we drink the wine, we'll remember that you've cleansed us from every sin. And we pray that we would know your joy and thanksgiving in our hearts.
[39:27] Father, reveal yourself to us through your Son in the bread and wine this morning. Hear our prayer. Amen.
[39:40] Dear brothers and sisters, the body of Christ was broken cruelly for each one of you.
[39:56] The bread, the bread will be passed round. Do just take a part of the bread and receive it as you're served to remind us of our personal relationship with Christ.
[40:13] If you have an intolerance, there is special bread in this little container. So take that if that's appropriate for you. The body of Christ, broken for each one of you.
[40:30] Receive with faith, with thanksgiving. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[40:45] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[40:57] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you.
[41:31] Thank you.
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[44:02] Join with me. We'll hold on to the cups and then we'll drink together. So just hold on to them after you've been served. Thank you.
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[55:40] So shall we stand and I'll see you.
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[62:41] And you must to be, For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
[63:23] We give thanks to God for his word. Oh, good morning, everybody. It's lovely to be here again with you today.
[63:38] If you're able, please do keep your Bible open on 2 Peter chapter one. It's always good to check that what I'm saying lines up with God's word. We've been thinking a lot about confidence this weekend, especially if you were here yesterday as well.
[63:52] And I wonder, what do you put your confidence in? There's certainly no shortage of things that we could put our confidence in.
[64:03] There are plenty of people who try to convince us their thing, or maybe they themselves, are the thing that we should put confidence in. You see this especially on the world of online media today.
[64:15] You have these so-called influencers who put forward their idyllic lifestyle and then try to sell this lifestyle to their followers. They try to sell them maybe their product or their way of life, often to their followers who are quite young and impressionable.
[64:33] They want their audiences to put their trust in them. And sadly, or happily, sometimes they do.
[64:44] You see these influences and they have millions upon millions of followers. And you start to think, maybe they're onto something. Maybe they've got it right.
[64:54] At the very least, it makes you think, or maybe compare this to the dwindling numbers we seem to see in surveys of people who seem to believe in God in this country.
[65:05] And you start to think, how on earth can we compete? Well, maybe we do need to compete. Maybe we need to try and make our message influencer worthy.
[65:16] We need to whitewash our message maybe. We need to maybe abandon some of the teachings that would be unpopular in today's day and age. That seems to be the answer that some people have arrived to within our faith.
[65:32] Well, my friends, Peter writes this book into a very similar, surprisingly similar context. False teachers were trying to turn the flock, the church, away from the apostles' teaching and towards teachings that allowed for sinful living.
[65:50] I find it encouraging that far from being outdated and irrelevant, this book speaks directly into our lives today. So what does Peter have to say to these false teachers and those that they're trying to turn away?
[66:06] Well, a helpful summary of this letter is found at the beginning of chapter 3, which will come up on the screen, where Peter writes, Peter's antidote to these influences, these false teachers in the church.
[66:37] It's not a new flashy teaching. He's not trying to play their game. But no, Peter knows that what we need is simply to remember God's word that he's given to us and to have confidence in it and to apply it to our lives.
[66:52] So let's come now to feed on the rich word of God. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the truths that it contains, truths that are timeless, that can be applied to us today, as well as when they were written thousands of years ago.
[67:09] And we pray that as we come to look at it now, you'd be speaking through your word, through your spirit. Amen. Well, right away in this introduction, Peter wastes no time in getting our minds in gear and showing us how we can have confidence in identity.
[67:27] Peter reminds us of some basic truths, first of all, about who he is and then about who we are. So Peter starts by giving a bit of a spiritual CV. He says there in verse 1, Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
[67:43] It's a bit of a strange order, isn't it? He states that he's a servant before he's an apostle. Now, being an apostle is quite an elite role. There weren't very many of them, maybe 13 using the strictest definition, maybe up to 20 using a slightly looser one.
[67:59] But Peter is an elite in the Christian world at the time, maybe the very elite, most elite. He's been given a special status by Jesus as a leader with authority in the early church.
[68:12] But he doesn't start with that. But those who are seeking to control, those who are seeking to lead the flock away, they're to try and puff up their spiritual credentials, their spiritual CV, to get people to listen to them, to show the clout that they had in the church.
[68:26] But not Peter. He's different. He's been changed by the gospel. So he sees himself not as a ruler with an iron fist to be obeyed, but a humble servant, a servant of Christ seeking to do his master's bidding.
[68:42] He doesn't hide the fact that he's an apostle. He doesn't want to have some false humility. He doesn't hide the fact that he's been given authority by God, but he's not trying to kick down the front door with his message.
[68:55] No. He's simply got a humble confidence in who he is and who he serves. And that might be a challenge to some maybe who are in positions of leadership, maybe inside or outside the church.
[69:06] Do we see ourselves first as a servant in whatever role we're in in life? Or do we see ourselves in that leadership role or whatever it is? Well, first, after reminding us of who he is, Peter reminds us of who we are.
[69:22] To those who through righteousness of our God and Saviour have received a faith as precious as ours. We, if we're a Christian here today, have received a faith.
[69:37] We've received it and only through the righteousness of God. It's only through his righteousness, his perfection, his sinlessness that we can have the faith today.
[69:48] We haven't earned it. We haven't worked hard to attain it. No. It has been given to us. It has been received. It's only because Jesus came and lived and died amongst us.
[70:04] Taking the punishment for our sins that we deserved. Making a way for us to be right with God once again. So Peter reminds us that we have received this faith.
[70:19] And that this faith is precious. I don't know how many things you have in your life that you could describe as precious. Just having spent a lot of time online and the things that these influencers are trying to sell, I definitely wouldn't describe any of them as precious.
[70:36] Maybe we think of an item of great sentimental or physical worth. A newborn child. But it's a very limited list. And yet here Peter tells us that our faith is precious.
[70:49] And I think that word only just starts to do justice to how valuable this faith is. It's something to desire, to treasure, to hold on to. To never let go.
[71:02] And if you're here this morning and you feel that you don't have this precious faith. Then can I encourage you simply to confess your sins. To turn from your old way of living without Jesus.
[71:13] Turn to him. Ask him to be your Lord and Saviour. And he today will give you this precious faith that Peter is telling us about. Well finally in this introduction, and don't worry we're not going to go through the whole passage verse by verse like this.
[71:27] Peter gives his readers a blessing. And it's not the type of blessing you might expect. You know often today people will try to promise you things that are eye-catching. Health and wealth.
[71:39] Power and authority. But not Peter. He simply offers grace and peace. Not something we tend to strive for.
[71:50] At least not on the onset. But as we go through life. As we experience suffering. As we see those suffering around us. As we see wars and rumours of wars.
[72:00] We see all the more the need for simply grace and peace. I imagine that there are a lot of people here today who may be in the face of crisis like we were looking at yesterday.
[72:13] Would love some simple peace in their lives. And that's what Peter offers in his introduction. Grace and peace. Rest in the deepest sense. God knows what we most deeply need.
[72:25] And here he offers it to us. And is more than willing to give it. Well in verses 3 and 4 Peter unpacks for us the effect of having a knowledge of God.
[72:36] This knowledge of God that we have again received. And he shows us how a knowledge of God leads to godly living. Our knowledge of God which again we've received just like our faith is sufficient.
[72:49] We don't need a fashy new teaching. We don't need to rely on ourselves. We don't need to have some mystical experience. Although I don't want to limit what God might choose to do for some people.
[73:02] But we can have a knowledge of God through his word. And that is sufficient for all we need. There is nothing more that we need to do.
[73:18] But there is more that we can do. As Peter lays out in verses 5 to 11. In light of this faith that we have been given. And in light of this knowledge that we have received. We're encouraged to increase in God the character.
[73:30] As we live out our lives. Verses 5 and 6. In response to all that God has done for us.
[73:55] We aim to strive to live in a way that displays the power of God at work within us. And it's these verses. It's these ideas.
[74:06] These attributes of our godly character. That give me some of the greatest confidence that I have in the gospel. Seeing the goodness of Christians. As they give sacrificially to those who are in need.
[74:19] Sitting underneath the learning and wisdom and knowledge of those who have walked with God far longer than I. Seeing those who are in difficult situations.
[74:31] Who could stumble and fall. Who could fall into sin. Who could lash out. Show great self-control in the face of adversity. I could go on through these characteristics.
[74:43] But hopefully you can see what I mean. As we look around. Hopefully seeing these verses. In these verses. We can look around the room right now.
[74:54] You know you can do it. Look around in the room right now. We can see people. And hopefully looking at these verses. We can bring to mind occasions. When we've seen the people around us. The people that we know that have a faith. Show these characteristics.
[75:05] And it gives us confidence. That God is working in their lives. It's the power of the gospel. Shown. Their tangible. Real. It gives us great confidence.
[75:16] And hopefully it may fill you with joy. And confidence. And the power of the gospel. Of God at work. In your life. And the lives of those around you. But might this passage also challenge us.
[75:30] See this is a list of things to be adding to our faith. And maybe you feel looking at this list. That I'm not sure I'm showing the greatest self-control. In that situation at work at the moment.
[75:40] I'm not sure I'm being persevering. I'm persevering in the prayer for this non-believer family member. Or can I encourage you to ask for God's help.
[75:52] To add to your faith these things. As Peter says. Becoming more effective and productive in the faith. So hopefully you can see how we can have confidence in the gospel.
[76:04] Because we can see its effect on those around us. Verses 3 to 11. Well now we move to verses 12 to 21. Where we can see that we can have confidence in the gospel. Because we know that it has a firm foundation.
[76:18] Peter starts off this chunk of his letter. By giving a personal plea for us to remember gospel truths. In verses 13 to 15 we read. I think it is right to refresh your memory.
[76:31] As long as I live in this tent of the body. Because I know that I will soon put it aside. As our Lord Jesus has made clear to me. And I will make every effort. To see that after my departure.
[76:42] You will always be able to remember these things. Peter knows his earthly time is nearly up. We read in John's gospel near the end. How Jesus predicted Peter's death.
[76:54] And Peter now seems to know that this prophecy. Was close to fulfillment. It is likely we think that Peter was in prison. At the time that he wrote this letter. And soon after.
[77:05] Tradition holds that he was crucified. And he wants the reader to know. That he knows he is nearing his death. In fact it is suggested that this part.
[77:16] Of the letter is written in the form. Of a testament of the day. Not as in the old testament. And the new testament. But as in the last will. And testament of Peter.
[77:27] In effect his dying wish. Is that we remember simple gospel truths. The truths that he's been sharing for us. That we've received a faith. That we have a knowledge of him.
[77:37] Revealed in his words. And that that is sufficient. It's his dying wish. That we remember these new things. It's not a new message. It's not flashy.
[77:49] It's not headline grabbing. But it is true. Peter wants us to remember it. And he's making every effort. That we can do so. In part by writing this letter.
[78:01] And in that sense we can say. Well done Peter. Mission successful. Almost 2,000 years later. We are sitting here. Reading his word. Reminding ourselves. Of gospel truths.
[78:13] So can I encourage you. To take on board. Peter's advice here. To build into your life. Patterns of reminder. That can help point you. To the things of God.
[78:23] God. I was encouraged by this thing. That Malcolm was encouraging us. To sign up to. To get these 40 days. Of bible readings. That's a great way. To daily remind ourselves.
[78:33] Of God's word. And the truths contained within it. Or maybe it's coming to church. Being regularly reminded. Of God's word. Through preaching. Through song. Through reading. Through seeing it.
[78:44] Lived out in baptism. And communion. Maybe it's meeting up. With a friend. For coffee. During the week. And praying with each other. And looking at God's word. Maybe it's listening to a podcast. Whatever it is for you.
[78:56] Can I encourage you. To take care. Of your souls. By regularly reminding yourself. Of God's goodness. To us. Revealed. In his word. Well Peter.
[79:09] Now moves on. And this is a question. That he seems to be. Answering for us. How can we be confident. In the knowledge of God. That our knowledge of God. Is the right knowledge of God.
[79:19] God. Why trust Peter. And the apostles versions. Because there's definitely. Conflicting versions. Of the knowledge of God. Out there. We were here. Seeing in this letter.
[79:30] The false teachers. They seemed. To be doing quite well. For themselves. They seem to be successful. Maybe. Maybe their knowledge of God. Is the right one. The influences of today. Within and without the church.
[79:41] They seem to be doing quite well. In a lot of. Circumstances. Maybe. They have. The right idea. Well the false teachers of the day. Were trying to downplay. The return of Christ.
[79:52] He's not going to come again. He's not going to come. So you. You don't really need to worry. About how you live your life. And so. They're leading. The flock. Australia. Maybe that's a familiar comment to you.
[80:04] You know. It's 2,000 years. Since Jesus. Was last on the earth. If you even believe that. He's obviously. Not coming back. Maybe you've heard people. Say that. To you before. Well Peter here.
[80:15] Presents his case. As to why Christians. Can be confident. That Christ will come again. And at the. At the heart of his message. Is this. We know he will come in glory.
[80:26] Because we've already. Seen it. Or maybe to link to the. The new song. That we were introducing earlier. I know how this story ends. Because I've already seen. A glimpse of it. Peter reminds us.
[80:36] That he and two other of the apostles. Were eyewitnesses. To Christ's transfiguration. When Jesus took these three apostles. Up on a mountain. And revealed something. Of his true.
[80:47] Divine nature. To them. We read. In Matthew's gospel. That Jesus's face. Shun. Like. The sun. And his clothes.
[80:57] Are white. As light. And these three eyewitnesses. Were also. Ear witnesses. They heard. The voice of God. From heaven. Saying this is my son.
[81:07] Whom I love. With him. I am well pleased. And so we have. These three witnesses. Of Jesus's divine nature. Being revealed. And I think that. That number of three witnesses.
[81:18] Is quite interesting. And important. You see. In Jewish law. To be able to convict someone. In a court of law. There had to be at least. Two witnesses. Think back to.
[81:29] The trial of Jesus. If you're familiar with it. Where. The Jewish leaders. Tried desperately. To find. Two witnesses. Who could have the same story. To try and convict Jesus.
[81:39] And they struggled. For a long time. To be able to do that. But here we have. Three witnesses. Who. Witnessed. Jesus's divine nature. And so Peter is saying. Look. This is a trustworthy story.
[81:51] We were there. We saw it. We know he will come again. So don't listen. To these false teachers. We know he will come again. Because we've already seen him. Come. In glory. So trust the teaching.
[82:02] Of the apostles. Based. On our first hand witness. Of these things. And don't listen. To the false teachers. Don't listen to those. Trying to influence you. They do not know.
[82:13] What they are on about. And finally. Peter here. Moves on. To the prophets. And he shows us. How we can have confidence. In the writings. Of the prophets too. I wonder.
[82:25] What prophecies. Peter was. Hoping his reader. Would bring to mind. When he was encouraging them. To have confidence. In the prophets. And the fulfillment.
[82:35] Of their writings. Which gives them. The confidence. Maybe he wants them. To recount. The prophecies. Of the prophet. Joel. Who promised. The coming. Of the Holy Spirit.
[82:46] On believers. And then. Wanting them. To bring to mind. Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit. Came. In power. Or maybe. He's wanting them. To think of the suffering.
[82:56] Christ. Prophesied. By the prophet. Isaiah. And then fulfilled. In the crucifixion. Account. Or maybe he's wanting them. To think all the way. Back to the beginning. Of the Bible. To the promise. To Abraham.
[83:07] That through him. And his descendants. All nations. Would be blessed. And they see the fulfillment. In their church. As Jew and Gentile. People from every tribe. And tongue. Come together.
[83:18] Under God. As one body. You've seen. The prophecies. Being fulfilled. Peter says. So have. Confidence. In them. And the fulfillment.
[83:30] Of these prophecies. Gives us hope. For the ultimate. Fulfillment. When all things. Will come to pass. Again. Pointing to the return. Of Jesus. The day. Of the Lord. Prophesied.
[83:41] Throughout. The prophets. We are to have hope. And confidence. That these things. Will happen. That Jesus. Will come again. Because we can see. How faithful.
[83:51] And accurate. The prophets have been. In the things. That have already. Happened. And this. This hope. That we can have. In the prophets. Carries us through. These present. Dark days.
[84:01] As a light. Shining. In a dark place. Until the morning. Comes. And Christ. Comes again. In glory. And in power. To judge the living. And the dead. And finally.
[84:13] Peter concludes. In verses 20. And 21. Above all. You must understand. That no prophecy. Of scripture. So that's talking about. The New Testament. Or the Old Testament. The prophets.
[84:23] And the apostles. No prophecy. Of scripture. Came about. By a prophet's. Own interpretation. Of things. For prophecy. Never had. Its origin. In human will. But prophets.
[84:34] Though human. Spoke from God. As they were carried along. By the Holy Spirit. And can you see. How he's bringing us. Back to the start here. And receiving.
[84:46] From God. We can trust. Scripture. Because it comes from. And belongs. To. God. The words of the prophets. Yes they were spoken by humans. They had their own ways.
[84:57] Of saying things. But the origin. Is from God. And so we can have confidence. That it is true. Because God can only speak. Truth. And. So we can have this kind of.
[85:08] Overview of the message. That Peter has been given. The apostles wrote. The entirety of the New Testament. And the prophets wrote. A large part. Or the entirety of the Old Testament.
[85:19] Depending on how. You interpret the word prophets. In this passage. Because it can be used. In different ways. So what Peter is doing here. Is calling for us. To have confidence. In the entirety.
[85:31] Of the Bible. And why is that? Well I think. This summary. Of the passage. I found helpful. At least. When I was hearing. Teaching. On this book.
[85:42] Bible. Truth. Leads to a knowledge. Of Jesus. And the knowledge of Jesus. Leads to godly living. Which leads to a rich. Welcome. In.
[85:53] To heaven. I think that's a really helpful summary. That we can see. Flowing through. The whole of. To Peter. But especially. In chapter one. But there is. A flip side.
[86:04] To this message. And it's laid out for us. In more detail. In chapters two and three. I spoke. A lot about influences. At the beginning. Of this message. And you might have heard.
[86:15] Of one recently. In the news. A man called. Andrew Tate. Recently. Rose. To international fame. Mostly. Over the last year. Mainly by appearing. On podcasts.
[86:27] Making quite controversial. Statements. About the things. Of the world. About work. About his attitudes. Towards women. But in quite a confident. And commanding. Way.
[86:38] And using this technique. He became. I think. Probably one of the most. Influential people. In the online space. In the world. Millions of people. Particularly. Young men. Were drawn in. By his.
[86:49] Self-confidence. And they put their trust. And their confidence. In him. His lifestyle. His flashy cars. His expensive. Houses. Surely. He.
[87:00] Had it. All. Surely. He's the antidote. To the confidence. That we can have in the gospel. Because. Whilst we may live. Lowly. Humble lives. He's got it all. Well.
[87:10] If you do recognize. The name. Andrew Tate. It's likely. Because you saw. In the news. Recently. That he was arrested. In Romania. Along with his brother. On suspicion.
[87:20] Of assault. And human trafficking. You see. False teaching. Like the ones. That Andrew Tate. Lived by. And led others. To adopt. Is based. On.
[87:31] A false. Knowledge. The world's truth. Leads to a false knowledge. And that false knowledge. Leads to sadly. Depraved living. And when Jesus.
[87:43] Comes again. To judge living. And the dead. As Peter has been trying. To convince us. In this book. And in this chapter. They will be found guilty. At the judgment.
[87:56] So don't listen. To the false teachers. Of the world. Both inside. And with outside. The church. Dear friends. Don't follow them down. Their paths. That lead. Away from God.
[88:07] But come to God. Seek. Bible truth. Seek to remind yourself. Of it. Of this true knowledge. Of Jesus. And seek. In light of the knowledge. That you have gained. To live godly.
[88:19] Lives. In light of the. What Christ has done. For you. And look forward. To your eternal reward. And your rich welcome. Into heaven. Or the divine nature.
[88:30] As Peter puts it. In his letter. It might not feel. Groundbreaking. Or exciting. To hold on to these. Gospel truths. It may not catch. Headlines. It may feel like you're.
[88:40] Pushing against the tide. Even within the church. But it is. God's way. To follow his truth. Laid out for us. In his holy word.
[88:52] So stay strong. God's way. Is always going to be. The best way. Let's pray. Lord help us.
[89:03] Not to wander. From you. Towards false riches. That are here today. And gone tomorrow. Help us. To hold on. To our precious faith. To have confidence.
[89:14] In your word. And by your spirit's help. May we be continually. Made more like you. Through it. Help us to know. That the story ends. In your victory.
[89:25] Your coming. Again. To triumph over evil. To judge the living. And the dead. Amen. Well we're going to. Sing a song now.
[89:36] That helps us. To express. Just how precious. That knowledge. Of Jesus. That we have received. Is. So let's stand. And sing together.
[89:47] Knowing you. Jesus. There is. No. Greater. Thing. Her.
[90:25] Oh my. I once have given my life upon All this world reveres and wants to own All I once thought gave I have found it lost And I'm worthless now compared to this Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you there is no greater thing You're my all, you're the best, you're my joy, my righteousness And I love you, Lord Now my heart's desire is to know you more To be found in you and known as yours
[91:29] To possess my faith what I could not earn All surpassing in all righteousness Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you there is no greater thing You're my all, you're the best, you're my joy, my righteousness And I love you, Lord Oh, to know the power of your risen life And to know you in your sufferings To be calm like you in your death, my Lord Knowing you to live and never die
[92:36] Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you there is no greater thing You're my all, you're the best, you're my joy, my righteousness And I love you, Lord Love you, Lord Well, it's been great to share today, this morning with you Please do stay around for tea and coffee Upstairs after the service for an extended tea and coffee time But as we come to a close Hear these words from the end of the letter that we've been looking at to Peter Chapter 3, verses 17 to the end Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless
[93:38] And fall from your secure position But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ To him be the glory both now and forever Amen Please be seated Amen Words of power strong to say That will never be Amen