WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:11.580 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:15.280 use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:29.740 Today's scripture reading is from 1 Peter 1, verses 1-13. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.119 And chapter 2, verses 2 and 3. 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:36.340 As found in your liturgy or in your pew Bibles. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:38.519 A reading from the first letter of Peter. 00:00:39.480 --> 00:00:44.719 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:50.840 of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge 00:00:50.840 --> 00:00:55.679 of God the Father through the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:56.960 and sprinkled with his blood. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:00.060 Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 00:01:00.899 --> 00:01:03.820 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:08.819 In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection 00:01:08.819 --> 00:01:14.900 of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. 00:01:14.900 --> 00:01:20.920 This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:25.880 until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 00:01:26.660 --> 00:01:32.060 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:33.300 in all kinds of trials. 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:39.579 These have come so that the proven genuinenessness of your faith, of greater worth than gold, 00:01:39.759 --> 00:01:45.679 which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when 00:01:45.679 --> 00:01:47.079 Jesus Christ is revealed. 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:50.759 Though you have not seen him, you love him. 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:56.359 And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:57.739 and glorious joy. 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:03.219 For you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:08.960 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:14.780 searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:20.000 to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:21.800 and the glories that would follow. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:27.600 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you when they spoke 00:02:27.600 --> 00:02:31.780 of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you 00:02:31.780 --> 00:02:33.760 by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. 00:02:34.660 --> 00:02:37.540 Even angels long to look into these things. 00:02:38.320 --> 00:02:44.100 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought 00:02:44.100 --> 00:02:47.160 to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:55.500 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:58.120 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:00.099 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:01.819 Thanks be to God. 00:03:03.139 --> 00:03:04.680 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:12.859 We have, over this past month, just been slowly introducing this noble letter of 1 Peter to you 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:18.660 and exploring some of the themes of the letter in this opening text that you just heard. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:26.600 And I want to just remind us this morning, who are the people for whom this letter was originally written? 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:27.620 Who was reading it? 00:03:27.660 --> 00:03:28.580 Who was receiving it? 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:33.360 We're told that these are Christians who were, they were living as exiles. 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:40.200 They were like the people of God who'd been exiled to Babylon many years before. 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:45.140 They were displaced foreigners in central and northern Turkey. 00:03:45.860 --> 00:03:54.340 Christians living as resident aliens there forming this little counterculture amidst the dominant culture of the empire. 00:03:55.300 --> 00:04:02.140 And in that place and in that condition, they were experiencing the cost of their discipleship. 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:07.139 They were experiencing the high cost of walking in the way of Jesus. 00:04:07.959 --> 00:04:12.379 And that's why Peter talks in verse 6 about suffering grief in all kinds of trials. 00:04:13.959 --> 00:04:19.000 It's why in verse 7 he talks about these trials that they're undergoing as Christians 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:28.959 as being like a fiery furnace in which their faith and the genuineness of their faith is being refined and being proved. 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:35.879 And so these are people, they're men and women, ordinary everyday Christians, men and women just like us, 00:04:36.039 --> 00:04:40.279 who need comfort, people who need courage. 00:04:41.299 --> 00:04:46.919 And so Peter's writing to them in the midst of their trials and in the midst of this fiery furnace that they're in 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:53.780 to tell them that there's something that massively transcends their trials. 00:04:54.580 --> 00:04:57.379 Something that's even greater than this fiery furnace. 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:02.060 It's something that he's been describing as hope and as joy. 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:09.340 And today we're going to pivot our attention to look at verses 10 to 12 in this text. 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:13.399 And you'll notice there that Peter introduces three different entities. 00:05:14.799 --> 00:05:16.819 He speaks first of all about the prophets. 00:05:18.039 --> 00:05:19.859 And then secondly about the Holy Spirit. 00:05:20.019 --> 00:05:21.959 And then finally about the angels. 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:25.919 And so we're going to look at all three of those and sort of take them in different order. 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:31.579 And see how Peter's giving men and women like us comfort and courage. 00:05:31.579 --> 00:05:39.259 Through the prophets, through the Holy Spirit, through the angels so that we can keep following Jesus as a counterculture. 00:05:40.180 --> 00:05:41.039 Does that make sense? 00:05:41.899 --> 00:05:53.079 So what Peter's saying is that salvation by grace is adored by the angels, spoken by the prophets, and shared by the Spirit. 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:55.639 That's what I want to talk about. 00:05:55.800 --> 00:06:02.039 That salvation by grace is adored by the angels, spoken by the prophets, and shared by the Spirit. 00:06:03.099 --> 00:06:08.959 First of all, let's think about the way in which salvation by grace is adored by the angels. 00:06:09.779 --> 00:06:10.560 Look at verse 10. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:12.199 It says, 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:12.219 It says, 00:06:12.220 --> 00:06:28.760 Now in the preceding nine verses, Peter's been outlining the essential salvation that's by grace. 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:33.240 And in verse 12, he calls that the gospel or the good news. 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:40.000 So what does Peter mean when he talks about this good news of salvation by grace? 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:47.220 And why does Peter tell us in verse 12 that even the angels long to look into these things? 00:06:47.339 --> 00:06:50.759 Why do they long to look into this gospel of grace? 00:06:51.660 --> 00:07:02.800 Well, this is important because many Christians think that the basic essential message of the gospel is something that you look at and you learn one time. 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:05.060 And then, you know, you're converted. 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:15.819 And then you leave behind those basics of grace and of the gospel in order to go on to more intermediate subjects and more advanced topics. 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.480 And if you think that way, Peter's like, 00:07:18.580 --> 00:07:19.180 Oh, hold on. 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:19.759 Wait a second. 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:21.400 Consider the angels. 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:29.060 Consider these immaterial, spiritual, perfect beings that God created before the human race. 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:30.879 And what do these angels do? 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:34.560 Peter says they long to look into the grace of the gospel. 00:07:35.699 --> 00:07:39.639 And that word longing means they have a strong and earnest desire. 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:42.740 That the angels have set their hearts on it. 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:43.879 They're hungry for it. 00:07:43.939 --> 00:07:45.040 They're thirsty for it. 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:47.819 It's their passion and their obsession. 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:50.519 Their longing, he says, to look into. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:53.819 Which means to pay close attention. 00:07:53.819 --> 00:08:00.819 And to continuously gaze and to meditate and to penetrate more and more into the meaning of these things. 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:02.819 The angels, he says, they never get tired. 00:08:02.939 --> 00:08:06.259 They never grow bored with this gospel of grace. 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:08.459 It mesmerizes them. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:11.139 And they just simply can't get enough. 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:16.399 And suffice it to say this morning, angels are not idiots. 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:16.939 Right? 00:08:16.980 --> 00:08:18.219 I've never met an angel. 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:24.820 But what I know about them and what I anticipate experiencing one day from them, they're really smart. 00:08:25.840 --> 00:08:26.820 Angels are very smart. 00:08:27.080 --> 00:08:29.360 They're smarter than anybody in this room, believe it or not. 00:08:30.260 --> 00:08:31.740 And angels are not young. 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:33.700 Angels are very old. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:35.639 In fact, angels are beyond ancient. 00:08:37.060 --> 00:08:41.399 And they've been looking into this gospel of grace for a very, very long time. 00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:56.480 And Peter tells us that the more they look, the more they see that it's like a kaleidoscope of endless, multidimensional beauties that absolutely astonishes and amazes them. 00:08:56.539 --> 00:08:58.039 And they say, please give us more. 00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:01.600 Now, think about that. 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:03.939 The angels were the eyewitnesses of creation. 00:09:05.079 --> 00:09:05.179 Right? 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:07.639 God spoke that word, let there be light, and bang. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:11.199 Vast galaxies just burst into existence. 00:09:12.019 --> 00:09:20.639 And astronomers, you know, estimate that there are 3,000 billion trillion stars, which is three with 24 zeros after it. 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:24.620 And maybe you've seen some of these images from the James Webb telescope. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:28.620 Anybody just looking at these, marveling at these James Webb images? 00:09:28.939 --> 00:09:30.519 Okay, you need to go home and look these up. 00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:36.960 Every one of those stars that we can see through that telescope and what it's capturing for us, 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:43.500 every one of those stars puts out the amount of energy every second that's equal to the energy of a trillion atom bombs. 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:45.639 Every second, each star. 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:49.560 And the angels saw when God first created that. 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:54.599 And yet there's something more wonderful than even that. 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:59.719 These angels who dwell in heaven, who are always in the presence of God, 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:05.279 these angels who are immersed in greatness and saturated in glory 24-7, 00:10:06.099 --> 00:10:08.859 they're stooping down and they're leaning in with intensity. 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:09.219 Why? 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:14.300 Because the salvation by grace eclipses everything else that God has ever done. 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:18.820 It's as if the angels are nudging one another and saying, 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:21.180 have you ever seen anything like this? 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:25.800 What is so amazing to them about grace? 00:10:26.040 --> 00:10:29.300 Well, grace is defined as unmerited favor. 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:35.200 Grace is showing kindness to someone who's totally undeserving of it. 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.400 And in fact, they deserve the exact opposite. 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:44.560 And what these angels see is they see that God made human beings in His image. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:48.960 And that God put human beings in His perfect paradise. 00:10:50.060 --> 00:10:56.600 But from that moment onwards, we have been unleashing sin and death into God's good creation. 00:10:56.740 --> 00:10:58.759 We've been spoiling it and ruining it. 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:02.020 We've been vandalizing it and polluting it. 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:06.199 But the angels see that when we rebelled against our creator God, 00:11:06.319 --> 00:11:08.519 and when we rebelled against all of our fellow creatures, 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.159 when we rebelled against the creation itself, 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:16.240 we forfeited every claim that we ever had on God's love. 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:22.100 And that we deserve nothing but condemnation and misery and suffering as a result. 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:24.759 But the angels don't just see us. 00:11:24.819 --> 00:11:25.840 The angels see God. 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:29.720 And they see that God is a God of grace. 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:30.200 Right? 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:32.580 God could have done nothing. 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:40.700 God could have just left us to stew for a very long time in our own juices without any sort of grace or intervention. 00:11:41.740 --> 00:11:48.220 Or God could have, He would have been perfectly just to just pour out His wrath immediately, right away, boom. 00:11:48.220 --> 00:11:51.360 Or God could have said, 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:54.600 Okay, here's a way out of your human predicament. 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:57.940 Here's a way of salvation, but you're going to have to work for it. 00:11:58.660 --> 00:11:59.899 You're going to have to earn it. 00:11:59.960 --> 00:12:03.899 You're going to have to abide by all of these religious observances. 00:12:04.060 --> 00:12:06.740 You're going to have to live by this code of ethics. 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:10.220 You're going to have to adhere to these high moral standards. 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:15.860 You're going to have to obey perfectly the Ten Commandments and live out the Sermon on the Mount. 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:23.340 You're going to have to do good and help people and be friendly and love your neighbor and fight for justice and peace. 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:31.360 And then maybe, just maybe, if I'm pleased enough with your performance, I might reward you with my favor and with my kindness. 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:37.600 Which is how every other religious and philosophical system in the world works. 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:44.620 But the gospel, friends, is not about how we save ourselves or our work of self-salvation. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:49.620 The gospel is about God's work of salvation by grace. 00:12:50.420 --> 00:12:55.680 It's about how He saves us, though we are totally undeserving of that salvation. 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:58.200 And this is what thrills. 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:00.460 This is what excites the angels. 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:06.440 This is what gives them a passion and an obsession to look further into this gospel of grace. 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:11.519 Because in all the unfathomable ages before the universe was created, 00:13:12.460 --> 00:13:19.379 these angels saw the Son of God who had dwelt in the heart of the Father from all eternity. 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:24.580 And these angels knew about the promise that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit 00:13:24.580 --> 00:13:29.759 each had made to one another in eternity fast before the foundation of the world 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:32.860 that they would send Jesus as the saver of humanity. 00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:41.879 But then these angels actually, in real time, they see God the Father actually send God the Son. 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:47.500 And when they see Jesus step out of eternity and down into time, 00:13:48.379 --> 00:13:53.700 and when they see Jesus leave behind all the strength and the riches and the glories of heaven 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:58.280 to enter into the virgin's womb, to take on human flesh, 00:13:59.040 --> 00:14:06.040 and when they see Jesus voluntarily, intentionally becoming weak and poor and vulnerable on the earth 00:14:06.040 --> 00:14:09.920 and subjecting Himself to the will of sinful human beings, 00:14:10.800 --> 00:14:16.400 and they see Him coming down to be a servant in this role of what Peter calls the Christ, 00:14:16.640 --> 00:14:21.000 which is Greek, or the Messiah, which is Hebrew, which means the Anointed One. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:28.620 When they see this Anointed One come to do what Peter describes in verse 2 as sprinkling His blood, 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:33.639 and what he describes in verse 3 as rising from the dead, 00:14:35.340 --> 00:14:41.000 the angels are amazed by God's grace. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:47.799 The angels are astonished at what God has done because did we do anything? 00:14:48.139 --> 00:14:51.059 Did we perform for any of this? 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:57.299 Is this gospel about what we have done or what we must do? 00:14:58.580 --> 00:15:04.360 No, the gospel is about this God of grace doing for us what we could have never done for ourselves, 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:07.320 doing for us what we did not deserve, 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:12.640 and doing for us something utterly unrelated to our performance. 00:15:13.860 --> 00:15:16.480 Friends, the gospel is not good advice. 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:19.660 The gospel is good news. 00:15:21.700 --> 00:15:25.460 Peter is giving comfort and courage to these Christian exiles 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:28.320 who are suffering great grief and all kinds of trials, 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:32.740 undergoing this fiery furnace of these trials that are refining their faith, 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:37.039 and what he's telling them is that Christianity does not depend on you. 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:43.940 Christianity depends entirely, utterly, solely, and exclusively upon Christ 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:46.519 and what He's done for you. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.539 And so he's saying, do you see this great difference 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:57.379 between salvation by our performance and salvation by God's grace? 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:01.679 Christianity is summed up in that one word, grace. 00:16:02.539 --> 00:16:05.100 Saving grace, amazing grace. 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:12.700 And the angels, Peter says, they never get tired of thinking about and looking into God's grace. 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:17.740 Every day they see new glories, new beauties, new wonders to behold. 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:24.460 And that's the question for us is, do we adore God's grace in the way that the angels do? 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:26.920 Do you long to look into it? 00:16:30.180 --> 00:16:31.820 Salvation by grace is amazing. 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:34.980 It's adored by the angels, Peter says. 00:16:36.100 --> 00:16:37.300 But he goes beyond that. 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:39.900 He says, salvation by grace is not only adored by the angels, 00:16:40.780 --> 00:16:42.940 salvation by grace was spoken by the prophets. 00:16:44.280 --> 00:16:47.080 Salvation by grace was spoken by the prophets. 00:16:47.180 --> 00:16:48.240 Look again at verse 10. 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:50.620 He says, concerning the salvation, 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:55.080 the prophets who spoke of that grace that was to come to you, 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:57.980 they searched intently and with the greatest care, 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:02.980 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:08.859 was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:11.339 That's a big statement, 00:17:12.140 --> 00:17:13.759 and it's a provocative statement. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:17.859 Because what Peter, this Jewish man, is saying 00:17:17.859 --> 00:17:24.019 is that the 37 books of the Hebrew canon of Scripture are all about one thing. 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:29.099 He's saying that the Old Testament is one great prophecy. 00:17:30.059 --> 00:17:32.059 And it's a prophecy about what? 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:36.960 Well, he says that basically in the Hebrew Bible, 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:41.259 God the Holy Spirit has been making these preliminary announcements 00:17:41.259 --> 00:17:46.519 about God the Father's plan of salvation by grace 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:51.920 that is going to be put into effect and put into operation by God the Son 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.180 who's going to come as the suffering Messiah. 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:57.160 That's the theme of the whole Bible, Peter says. 00:17:57.539 --> 00:17:59.960 The theme of the Bible from beginning to end 00:17:59.960 --> 00:18:04.340 is about salvation by grace through the sufferings of the Messiah. 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:09.659 And when Peter says that, what he's telling us is that Christianity is not novel. 00:18:11.539 --> 00:18:13.919 Christianity didn't start with the birth of Jesus. 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:17.859 If you want to properly understand Christianity, 00:18:18.019 --> 00:18:20.220 you've got to go back, all the way back, 00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:24.279 and look at those great covenants that God made with Adam, 00:18:24.619 --> 00:18:27.699 and with Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and David, 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:29.859 and all the people of Israel. 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:37.240 And Peter's saying the roots of Christianity lay deep in this soil of prophetic grace. 00:18:39.139 --> 00:18:40.719 Do we read the Bible that way? 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:46.039 He says that the prophets predicted the sufferings of the Messiah. 00:18:46.539 --> 00:18:49.339 And of course, to predict means to foretell the future. 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:54.000 So when we pick up and we read from Moses to Malachi, 00:18:54.639 --> 00:18:55.839 and I hope that you will. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:00.019 When we read the prophet Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, 00:19:00.099 --> 00:19:05.839 when we read Habakkuk and Hosea and Haggai, 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:11.740 those prophets of grace were not just serving their own generations in their own times, 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:12.779 though they were doing that. 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:14.279 But he says more than that, 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:18.099 they were looking over the horizon into the future. 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:21.339 And that through divine inspiration, 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:25.599 those prophets were able to predict what was coming hundreds, 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:28.899 if not thousands of years down the line. 00:19:30.420 --> 00:19:32.879 Now, maybe you've heard this old joke that 00:19:32.879 --> 00:19:38.079 economists have successfully predicted nine out of the last five recessions. 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:39.559 You ever heard that? 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:45.579 The Economist magazine, every year they publish predictions. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:49.379 They call it the world ahead 2023. 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:51.659 And to their credit, 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:52.740 and they're saying, 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:54.099 here's what's going to happen in 2023. 00:19:54.399 --> 00:19:55.220 And then to their credit, 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:56.740 at the end of 2023, 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:58.579 they publish, 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:00.259 here's how we did with our predictions. 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:03.099 And it's massively entertaining. 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:05.399 Because, you know, 00:20:05.480 --> 00:20:06.819 sometimes they're right. 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:10.379 But a lot of times they're wildly off, 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:12.720 just in trying to predict the next 12 months. 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:15.220 So, imagine you doing that. 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:18.500 Like, who of us can predict what's going to happen next month? 00:20:20.659 --> 00:20:24.720 How many of us can predict what's going to happen this coming November? 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:29.460 And that's why you all need some Xanax. 00:20:29.860 --> 00:20:31.960 Like, that's why I know you're anxious about that. 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:35.620 But when you think about the Economist magazine, 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:37.799 and their predictions, 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:40.140 and then when you think about these prophets, 00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:41.059 and their predictions, 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:42.779 and their promises of this Messiah 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:46.160 that were beautifully fulfilled in the life of Jesus, 00:20:46.360 --> 00:20:47.380 and in his church, 00:20:48.180 --> 00:20:49.900 hundreds and thousands of years later, 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:52.519 it's enough to blow your mind if you think about it. 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:55.099 And so the question is, 00:20:55.180 --> 00:20:55.980 where do we see 00:20:55.980 --> 00:20:59.379 these predicted sufferings of the Messiah 00:20:59.379 --> 00:21:00.539 that Peter's talking about? 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:01.779 Where do we see that in the Bible? 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:04.619 Now, I don't have the whole morning here, 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:06.440 and praise God for that, 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:09.299 to teach you the entire Old Testament. 00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:11.819 But I'll just give you three quick examples. 00:21:12.200 --> 00:21:14.639 From the different sections of the Old Testament, 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:16.180 the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:17.799 The Law is the Torah, 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:19.180 the first five books of the Bible, 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:20.019 the books of Moses. 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:22.779 And if you look at Genesis chapter 3, 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:24.859 verse 15, 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:26.480 you find there this mother prediction, 00:21:26.619 --> 00:21:29.160 this mother promise of God's grace, 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:31.299 that immediately after the fall of humanity, 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:33.879 immediately after our rebellion against God, 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:34.980 God comes in, 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:36.700 and he announces to Adam and Eve, 00:21:36.740 --> 00:21:37.099 he says, 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:38.539 the offspring of the woman, 00:21:38.639 --> 00:21:40.759 the son of this woman, 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:41.599 is going to come, 00:21:41.639 --> 00:21:44.359 and he's going to be horribly struck by the serpent. 00:21:44.859 --> 00:21:45.819 Horribly struck. 00:21:45.819 --> 00:21:48.379 And yet, he's also going to, 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:51.379 the son is going to crush the head of the serpent, 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:53.220 in triumph and in victory. 00:21:55.539 --> 00:21:58.139 When you fast forward from the Law to the Prophets, 00:21:58.220 --> 00:21:59.960 you read the Prophet Isaiah. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.799 He's probably the greatest of the prophets. 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:03.619 And if you pick up Isaiah, 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:05.299 and you read chapters 1 to 39, 00:22:05.579 --> 00:22:07.460 you'll see that over and over, 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:10.359 Isaiah is talking about this promised king that's coming. 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:14.379 And then in chapters 40 to 55 in Isaiah, 00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:16.000 that promised king, 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:18.459 it actually turns out he's going to be a suffering servant. 00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:22.719 And then in chapters 56 to 66, 00:22:23.159 --> 00:22:23.719 Isaiah says, 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:26.339 well, that promised king is actually going to be a suffering servant 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:29.319 who's actually going to become the healer of the whole world. 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:32.279 So that's the Law, 00:22:32.399 --> 00:22:33.139 that's the Prophets. 00:22:33.899 --> 00:22:35.099 And then there's the Writings. 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:37.119 The Psalms are part of the Writings, 00:22:37.219 --> 00:22:40.000 and we have many, many of these Messianic Psalms. 00:22:40.899 --> 00:22:41.799 And I'll just mention, 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.240 probably the one you know the best, Psalm 22, 00:22:44.979 --> 00:22:48.779 which says that the coming Messiah is going to be scorned and despised. 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:51.259 He's going to be insulted and mocked. 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:53.719 People are going to cast lots for his garments, 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:57.139 and they're going to pierce his hands and his feet, 00:22:57.259 --> 00:22:59.419 and people are going to stare at his naked body. 00:23:00.479 --> 00:23:01.979 And if you read to the end of that Psalm, 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:03.579 it says that eventually, 00:23:03.919 --> 00:23:07.579 he's going to be delivered and rescued in victory by God. 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:11.899 So in each of these different parts of the Old Testament, 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:15.359 it's saying that the Messiah who's going to come is going to be struck, 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:16.159 he's going to suffer, 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:17.359 he's going to be pierced. 00:23:18.199 --> 00:23:22.480 And why is Peter addressing these Christian exiles, 00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:24.159 these men and women like us, 00:23:24.159 --> 00:23:27.659 who are suffering grief and all kinds of trials because of Jesus, 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:31.279 going through this fiery furnace that's refining their faith 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:33.139 because they're following the way of Jesus, 00:23:33.140 --> 00:23:38.240 why do they need to know that the sufferings of the Messiah 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:42.840 were predicted well ahead of time by these prophets of grace? 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:47.560 Because he wants them to know that the sufferings of the Messiah 00:23:47.560 --> 00:23:53.180 and the sufferings of the Messiah's people are not random. 00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:58.220 The sufferings of the Messiah and the sufferings of the Messiah's people 00:23:58.220 --> 00:24:00.200 are not random. 00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:03.460 They're part of God's eternal plan. 00:24:04.840 --> 00:24:08.299 The suffering and death of Jesus was not an untimely accident. 00:24:09.320 --> 00:24:11.840 It was not a tragic mistake. 00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:14.019 But rather, Peter says, 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:17.279 it was foreseen and it was foretold 00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:19.759 that the Messiah had to get these sufferings 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:21.160 so that we could get the grace. 00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:23.279 But more than that, 00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:25.540 if the sufferings of Jesus 00:24:25.540 --> 00:24:29.560 preceded the subsequent glories of Jesus, 00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:33.720 then followers of Jesus should not be surprised 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:37.040 that we also share the pattern of his life. 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:40.600 If Jesus experienced sufferings first 00:24:40.600 --> 00:24:42.540 and then he got the glories that would follow, 00:24:42.700 --> 00:24:43.960 so it must be with us. 00:24:45.140 --> 00:24:49.420 The sequence of our lives follows the sequence of Jesus' life. 00:24:49.420 --> 00:24:52.560 suffering grief and all kinds of trials, 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:55.620 but then glories to follow. 00:24:57.120 --> 00:24:58.100 Now, I don't know about you, 00:24:58.160 --> 00:25:01.039 but I take great comfort and courage from this 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:04.200 that suffering because of the way of Jesus 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:07.019 is not a sign that God has betrayed us. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.900 It's not a sign that God is no longer in control of our lives, 00:25:11.900 --> 00:25:15.820 but rather it's a sign of our fellowship 00:25:15.820 --> 00:25:18.259 with our suffering Messiah, Jesus. 00:25:19.600 --> 00:25:21.540 And it's a sign of those glories, 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:24.340 that those same glories that followed for him 00:25:24.340 --> 00:25:27.860 are going to be the glories that follow for us. 00:25:29.360 --> 00:25:30.060 So friends, 00:25:30.140 --> 00:25:31.560 do you know that your sufferings, 00:25:32.320 --> 00:25:33.600 as a Christian, 00:25:33.740 --> 00:25:34.700 whatever those might be, 00:25:35.060 --> 00:25:37.500 whatever hard decisions you might be needing to make 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:38.779 because you're following Jesus, 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:41.880 do you know that those sufferings are not random? 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:44.619 They're not an accident. 00:25:45.640 --> 00:25:46.859 They're no more a mistake 00:25:46.859 --> 00:25:48.599 than the sufferings of Jesus himself. 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:51.380 And in the midst of your suffering, 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:52.920 in the midst of this fiery trial 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:54.440 that you may be going through, 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:57.559 are you focusing on your suffering Messiah? 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:01.700 Are you focusing on the glory that he's entered into 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:04.339 and the glory that is surely yours to come? 00:26:04.339 --> 00:26:07.279 Peter says that's what it means 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:09.119 to have a living hope. 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:11.679 That's what it means to be filled with joy 00:26:11.679 --> 00:26:14.939 that's inexpressible and full of glory, 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:18.199 is to embrace the fact that you, 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:20.699 little you, little me, 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:23.519 we've been united 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:26.619 to the suffering yet glorified Messiah. 00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:28.299 Praise God. 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:31.319 Okay, last thing. 00:26:32.199 --> 00:26:33.319 Salvation by grace 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:35.359 is adored by the angels. 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:36.399 Salvation by grace 00:26:36.399 --> 00:26:37.579 was spoken by the prophets. 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:38.619 But finally, 00:26:39.220 --> 00:26:40.179 salvation by grace 00:26:40.179 --> 00:26:42.379 is shared by the Spirit. 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:44.319 It's shared by the Spirit. 00:26:45.799 --> 00:26:46.899 We'll close with this. 00:26:46.939 --> 00:26:47.419 Verse 12. 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:49.960 It was revealed to the prophets 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:51.500 that they were not serving themselves, 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:52.359 but you, 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:54.200 when they spoke of the things 00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:55.379 that have now been told you 00:26:55.379 --> 00:26:57.379 by those who have preached the gospel to you 00:26:57.379 --> 00:26:58.379 by the Holy Spirit 00:26:58.379 --> 00:26:59.579 sent from heaven. 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:00.859 Even the angels long 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:02.419 to look into these things. 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:05.099 What's Peter doing here? 00:27:07.139 --> 00:27:09.659 He wants these suffering exiles to see 00:27:09.659 --> 00:27:13.460 that even though 00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:16.659 they are experiencing trials 00:27:16.659 --> 00:27:20.039 and suffering grief 00:27:20.039 --> 00:27:21.480 and all kinds of different trials 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:22.960 that are like a fiery furnace 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:24.319 refining their faith, 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:25.879 he's telling them 00:27:25.879 --> 00:27:27.099 that even in the midst of that, 00:27:27.539 --> 00:27:29.799 they have an incredibly privileged status. 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:32.039 He says, 00:27:32.139 --> 00:27:33.339 your knowledge of the gospel, 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:35.379 your knowledge of salvation by grace 00:27:35.379 --> 00:27:37.639 is superior to both the prophets 00:27:37.639 --> 00:27:39.000 and the angels. 00:27:40.259 --> 00:27:42.019 By comparison with the prophets, 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:43.539 you, the people of God, 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:44.960 are privileged historically. 00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:48.180 And by comparison with the angels, 00:27:48.399 --> 00:27:49.379 you, the people of God, 00:27:49.419 --> 00:27:50.960 are privileged cosmically. 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:54.220 The prophets had been searching 00:27:54.220 --> 00:27:55.480 with intently 00:27:55.480 --> 00:27:56.539 and with the greatest care 00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:57.259 to learn about 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:58.980 what you now experience. 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:01.259 And the angels 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:03.059 have been longing 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:04.420 with a holy passion 00:28:04.420 --> 00:28:05.519 and a holy obsession 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:06.200 to understand 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:08.220 what you now possess. 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:10.859 But Peter goes on 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:11.240 and he says, 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:12.279 you have an even 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:13.819 more privileged status 00:28:13.819 --> 00:28:14.480 than that 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:16.220 because you have 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:16.940 the Holy Spirit. 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:19.599 Consider the Holy Spirit 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:21.259 that was sent from heaven 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:22.119 to you, 00:28:22.379 --> 00:28:22.859 he says. 00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:25.579 Consider that Holy Spirit 00:28:25.579 --> 00:28:27.279 that was in the prophets. 00:28:28.379 --> 00:28:29.679 Consider that Holy Spirit 00:28:29.679 --> 00:28:31.979 that conceived Jesus 00:28:31.979 --> 00:28:33.359 in the womb of a virgin. 00:28:34.459 --> 00:28:35.779 Consider that Holy Spirit 00:28:35.779 --> 00:28:36.979 that anointed Jesus 00:28:36.979 --> 00:28:37.879 at his baptism. 00:28:38.579 --> 00:28:39.879 The same Holy Spirit 00:28:39.879 --> 00:28:41.000 that empowered Jesus 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:41.879 for his ministry. 00:28:42.599 --> 00:28:43.639 The same Holy Spirit 00:28:43.639 --> 00:28:44.699 that enabled Jesus 00:28:44.699 --> 00:28:45.879 to lay down his life 00:28:45.879 --> 00:28:47.039 and sacrificial suffering. 00:28:47.139 --> 00:28:48.299 The same Spirit 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:49.359 that raised Christ 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:49.819 from the dead. 00:28:49.819 --> 00:28:50.960 That same Spirit 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:52.939 that was in the prophets 00:28:52.939 --> 00:28:53.960 and that same Spirit 00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:55.399 that was in Jesus, 00:28:55.839 --> 00:28:56.619 that Spirit 00:28:56.619 --> 00:28:58.039 has been sent from heaven 00:28:58.039 --> 00:28:59.000 to you, 00:28:59.139 --> 00:28:59.819 Peter says. 00:29:01.879 --> 00:29:03.659 And why was the Holy Spirit 00:29:03.659 --> 00:29:04.500 sent from heaven 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:05.480 to you? 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:08.500 So that the gospel of grace 00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:09.500 might be shared with you. 00:29:10.919 --> 00:29:12.399 Why is the Holy Spirit 00:29:12.399 --> 00:29:13.519 poured out on the church 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:15.539 in each new generation? 00:29:16.079 --> 00:29:17.819 It's so that you might receive 00:29:17.819 --> 00:29:18.799 the gospel of grace 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:21.220 directly from the Holy Spirit. 00:29:22.639 --> 00:29:23.379 Peter says, 00:29:23.939 --> 00:29:24.000 yes, 00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:25.720 you're exiles. 00:29:26.919 --> 00:29:27.359 Yes, 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:29.379 you are suffering grief 00:29:29.379 --> 00:29:30.559 and all kinds of trials. 00:29:30.819 --> 00:29:31.159 Yes, 00:29:31.439 --> 00:29:32.480 you are going through 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:33.799 a fiery furnace 00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:35.679 that's refining your faith. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:37.039 But you are 00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:38.819 a massively privileged people. 00:29:42.399 --> 00:29:44.259 Because by the Holy Spirit, 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:46.460 you've been enabled 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:48.680 to hear Jesus Himself 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:50.519 speaking to you 00:29:50.519 --> 00:29:51.740 through the Scriptures. 00:29:53.019 --> 00:29:54.480 And by the Holy Spirit, 00:29:54.879 --> 00:29:55.660 you've been enabled 00:29:55.660 --> 00:29:57.460 to feel Jesus Himself 00:29:57.460 --> 00:29:58.359 touching you 00:29:58.359 --> 00:29:59.960 through the sacraments 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:00.539 of water 00:30:00.539 --> 00:30:01.619 and bread and wine. 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:03.660 And by the Holy Spirit, 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:04.559 you've been enabled 00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:05.500 to experience 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:06.500 Jesus Himself 00:30:06.500 --> 00:30:07.680 loving you 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:08.859 in the fellowship 00:30:08.859 --> 00:30:09.779 of the saints. 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:12.579 the Holy Spirit's 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:13.740 using the Scriptures 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:14.920 and the sacraments 00:30:14.920 --> 00:30:15.859 and the saints 00:30:15.859 --> 00:30:17.299 and so many other means 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:18.859 to reveal Jesus 00:30:18.859 --> 00:30:20.339 to you. 00:30:22.180 --> 00:30:22.879 And Peter says, 00:30:22.980 --> 00:30:23.660 do you realize 00:30:23.660 --> 00:30:25.759 how supremely privileged 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:26.980 you are? 00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:30.079 You are more privileged 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:31.759 in the grand sweep 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:33.399 of cosmic history, 00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:34.160 in the grand sweep 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:35.519 of redemptive history. 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:36.500 You are more privileged 00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:37.379 than the great prophets 00:30:37.380 --> 00:30:37.880 of old 00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:39.920 and the angels above 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:41.840 because you're living 00:30:41.840 --> 00:30:42.840 in the age 00:30:42.840 --> 00:30:43.660 of the Holy Spirit. 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:45.460 And you belong 00:30:45.460 --> 00:30:46.140 to a church 00:30:46.140 --> 00:30:47.420 that's full of the Holy Spirit. 00:30:48.080 --> 00:30:49.000 And you yourselves 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:49.520 are people 00:30:49.520 --> 00:30:50.060 who become 00:30:50.060 --> 00:30:51.240 the dwelling place 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:53.340 of the Holy Spirit. 00:30:54.620 --> 00:30:55.360 So Peter says, 00:30:55.360 --> 00:30:56.360 remember in the midst 00:30:56.360 --> 00:30:57.020 of your exile, 00:30:57.160 --> 00:30:58.520 remember in the midst 00:30:58.520 --> 00:30:59.360 of suffering trials, 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:00.440 remember in the midst 00:31:00.440 --> 00:31:01.020 of enduring 00:31:01.020 --> 00:31:02.380 a fiery furnace 00:31:02.380 --> 00:31:04.560 that you have the reality 00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:06.359 that the prophets 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:07.720 have been searching for 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:08.460 and the angels 00:31:08.460 --> 00:31:09.759 have been longing after. 00:31:11.139 --> 00:31:11.779 And so he says, 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:12.359 rejoice 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:14.980 with inexpressible 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:16.599 and glorious joy 00:31:16.599 --> 00:31:18.579 that the Holy Spirit 00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:19.359 has seen fit 00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:20.279 to share with you 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:22.220 this most precious message 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:23.079 of the gospel 00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:24.179 of salvation, 00:31:24.179 --> 00:31:25.599 not by your performance, 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:28.159 but by God's grace. 00:31:30.019 --> 00:31:30.539 Friends, 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:31.220 are you longing? 00:31:32.059 --> 00:31:33.099 Are you longing 00:31:33.099 --> 00:31:34.319 to look into the gospel 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:35.980 like the angels 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:37.019 look into the gospel? 00:31:38.579 --> 00:31:38.959 Friends, 00:31:39.019 --> 00:31:39.759 are you searching 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:41.559 the gospel intently 00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:42.859 and with the greatest care 00:31:42.859 --> 00:31:43.679 like the prophets 00:31:43.679 --> 00:31:44.919 search intently 00:31:44.919 --> 00:31:46.679 and with the greatest care? 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:48.759 Friends, 00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:49.519 are you cherishing 00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:50.279 this gospel 00:31:50.279 --> 00:31:52.379 that's been so graciously 00:31:52.379 --> 00:31:53.099 shared with you 00:31:53.099 --> 00:31:54.719 by the Holy Spirit? 00:31:56.719 --> 00:31:57.559 If so, 00:31:58.359 --> 00:31:59.699 I want to close 00:31:59.699 --> 00:32:01.139 with Peter's word 00:32:01.139 --> 00:32:01.959 in verse 13. 00:32:03.099 --> 00:32:04.139 Therefore, 00:32:04.299 --> 00:32:04.699 with minds 00:32:04.699 --> 00:32:05.539 that are alert 00:32:05.539 --> 00:32:07.159 and fully sober, 00:32:08.659 --> 00:32:09.519 set your hope 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:11.619 on that grace 00:32:11.619 --> 00:32:13.219 that's going to be 00:32:13.219 --> 00:32:13.980 brought to you 00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:15.819 when Jesus Christ 00:32:15.819 --> 00:32:16.459 is revealed 00:32:16.459 --> 00:32:17.919 and is coming. 00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:19.879 In the name of the Father, 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:20.799 Son, and Holy Spirit, 00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:21.740 Amen. 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:21.899 Amen. 00:32:22.579 --> 00:32:22.740 Amen. 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:23.139 Amen. 00:32:23.139 --> 00:32:23.859 Amen. 00:32:23.859 --> 00:32:24.359 Amen. 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:24.719 Amen. 00:32:24.719 --> 00:32:24.799 Amen. 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:25.240 Amen. 00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:25.819 Amen. 00:32:25.819 --> 00:32:25.879 Amen. 00:32:25.879 --> 00:32:25.980 Amen. 00:32:25.980 --> 00:32:26.259 Amen. 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:26.799 Amen. 00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:26.859 Amen. 00:32:26.859 --> 00:32:26.879 Amen. 00:32:26.879 --> 00:32:26.899 Amen. 00:32:26.899 --> 00:32:27.000 Amen. 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:27.859 Amen. 00:32:27.859 --> 00:32:27.879 Amen. 00:32:27.879 --> 00:32:27.959 Amen. 00:32:27.959 --> 00:32:28.859 Amen. 00:32:28.859 --> 00:32:28.919 Amen. 00:32:28.919 --> 00:32:29.919 Amen. 00:32:29.919 --> 00:32:30.019 Amen. 00:32:30.019 --> 00:32:30.899 Amen. 00:32:30.899 --> 00:32:30.919 Amen. 00:32:30.919 --> 00:32:30.980 Amen. 00:32:30.980 --> 00:32:31.959 Amen.