WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:12.780 Always a blessing to get to speak to you. I know that, well, we're going through 1 Peter and it's a special privilege to go through 1 Peter together, whether we're here at Messiah West or downtown. 00:00:12.779 --> 00:00:30.479 And I have a special love for 1 Peter as the Spanish Protestant reformers found it to be very dear to them, as they found themselves to be scattered exiles, very much like the folks that Peter is addressing there in Asia Minor. 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:48.980 And as they came to understand their calling as a royal priesthood. And these themes are really strong in those works that I've been privileged to study for some 15, 20 years now and to try to understand a lesser known aspect of the Spanish, of the Reformation. 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:58.439 And yet it happened and we give thanks to God for raising up people there in Spain just as he did in other parts of Europe. 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:05.700 Are you looking for me to put on a Daniel voice or? Oh, okay. 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:10.039 Okay. 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:13.500 Oh, okay, great. 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:24.979 Well, we've prayed. The key verse that I want to focus on is 1 Peter 4.1. 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:54.960 1 Peter 5.1. 00:01:54.959 --> 00:01:57.500 Down in the U.S. in the state of Kentucky. 00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:09.159 I occasionally listen to his briefing, he calls it, which he refers to as his daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. 00:02:09.939 --> 00:02:22.500 In Friday's episode, he made a fairly significant claim that May 30th, 2024, that is Thursday, will stand as a major turning point in U.S. history. 00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:29.120 It was the day that a former president was convicted as a felon. 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:34.139 And the actual charges are not my interest here. 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:39.639 What interested me was the claim of a very thoughtful Christian man, 00:02:39.719 --> 00:02:45.199 that we've witnessed a major turning point in American history, 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:51.000 which might as well be world history in this day and age. 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:57.000 One course I teach at Ryle Seminary and a couple of other places is church history. 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:02.000 So you can imagine that I'm interested very much in the question of turning points. 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:12.319 When it comes to the history of Christianity, we can quite safely say that there have been some real turning points or decisive moments. 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.819 I don't know if you've seen this book by Mark Knoll, any of you, 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:22.560 but it's a fantastic introduction to the history of Christianity that takes as its way of studying church history, 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:27.780 specifically that, turning points, decisive moments in the history of Christianity. 00:03:30.780 --> 00:03:35.979 Let me, technical move here, removing the little clip. 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:44.199 For instance, think of the French Revolution, which was in 1789. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:44.979 Thank you. 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:49.759 It was a turning point, a turning point, because it led directly to this. 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:53.079 And just about every sphere you can think of, 00:03:53.659 --> 00:04:01.079 the economy, the spiritual quest, life itself, history, human history, 00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:04.320 all these things were turned in on themselves. 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:06.020 Meaning what? 00:04:06.100 --> 00:04:11.140 Well, we stopped thinking about these things in relation to God and His ways 00:04:11.140 --> 00:04:16.379 and started to think about them in relation to themselves. 00:04:17.100 --> 00:04:18.400 They turned in on themselves. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:22.759 In that sense, the sexual revolution that I think I talked about 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:26.360 when I was here in this spot last time 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:30.800 was probably just a footnote to the French Revolution. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:34.379 Why am I going into all this? 00:04:34.500 --> 00:04:36.879 Well, God's word to us this morning through Peter, 00:04:37.780 --> 00:04:43.740 as recorded in what we refer to as chapter 4, verses 1 to 11, 00:04:44.080 --> 00:04:47.699 is about a turning point and its significance. 00:04:48.340 --> 00:04:52.960 And in fact, we're talking about the turning point in human history. 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:57.899 But I don't want us to think about it in the abstract only, 00:04:58.319 --> 00:04:59.939 but instead to ask, 00:05:00.259 --> 00:05:09.519 what does the fact that Jesus suffered bodily 2,000 years ago change? 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:14.279 How does this fact change the way you and I live our lives today? 00:05:15.179 --> 00:05:16.019 Part 1. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:18.459 At this point, you're probably thinking, 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:24.339 right, what we've signed up for this morning is an explanation of how Jesus is suffering, 00:05:24.599 --> 00:05:26.079 gives us an example to follow, 00:05:26.239 --> 00:05:30.359 and so we'll all go out and we'll try a little bit harder to do just that. 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:37.459 Well, patterning our lives after Jesus' example is certainly part of the message, 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:39.279 but it's not the core message. 00:05:39.819 --> 00:05:41.939 In fact, without the core message, 00:05:41.939 --> 00:05:48.660 without the new reality or the breakthrough that the core message points us to, 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:53.480 attempting to imitate Jesus is an exercise in futility. 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:56.420 We won't have the power to do it. 00:05:57.860 --> 00:05:58.839 So, to the text. 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:02.680 Since we're dealing in turning points this morning, 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:07.600 we're naturally thinking about things in terms of a before and an after. 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.400 To start with the before part, 00:06:11.760 --> 00:06:13.500 we need to not start at the beginning, 00:06:13.640 --> 00:06:16.540 but we need to jump to verses 3 and 4. 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:17.860 So, let's hear those again. 00:06:18.960 --> 00:06:24.460 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do, 00:06:24.900 --> 00:06:30.840 living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. 00:06:31.379 --> 00:06:36.240 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless wild living, 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:40.420 and they heap abuse on you before. 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:44.900 Who are the pagans that Peter's talking about? 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:49.060 Well, some translations just say the nations, 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:56.319 the people groups that the scattered Christians lived among there in Asia Minor. 00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:59.420 And according to chapter 2 and verse 12, 00:06:59.879 --> 00:07:01.099 they're the mission field, 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:09.719 because the Christians are to live exemplary lives among them in hopes for what? 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:13.339 Hopes that one day, through their witness, 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:17.000 these pagans too will give glory to God, 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:21.519 having, we must assume, embraced their witness and their example. 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:25.299 And what was their condition, being pagans? 00:07:25.859 --> 00:07:28.699 Well, it would be hard to believe that they spent every day, 00:07:28.819 --> 00:07:33.859 every single day of their lives in debauchery and drunkenness and gluttony, 00:07:33.939 --> 00:07:37.379 and I don't think Peter is necessarily trying to tell us that, 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:40.899 because pagans can lead quite decent lives. 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:46.159 Hey, says the modern pagan in Ottawa, 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:49.979 I don't cheat on my wife, I care for my family, 00:07:50.479 --> 00:07:53.739 I do my job, I'm a volunteer firefighter. 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:58.419 But as we read on, we get to the heart of the matter, 00:07:58.859 --> 00:07:59.939 and it's idolatry. 00:08:00.799 --> 00:08:03.459 It's not these outward manifestations, 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:05.219 it's the idolatry. 00:08:05.299 --> 00:08:06.279 In the first century, 00:08:06.859 --> 00:08:09.879 the orgies and the gluttony and the worship of idols, 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:11.279 well, they were all at peace, 00:08:11.379 --> 00:08:12.759 they were all bound up together. 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:16.120 If we're modern, more enlightened pagans, 00:08:16.279 --> 00:08:17.659 what do we worship? 00:08:18.259 --> 00:08:20.639 We worship an impersonal God, 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:24.719 who kind of animates the whole flow of life, 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:28.819 and whose nature and ways are impossible to know. 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:32.659 And either way, we're in darkness, 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:38.080 because we remain slaves to our self-gratification, 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:42.639 slaves to our own self-actualization. 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:45.500 We're only living in the moment, in fact. 00:08:46.560 --> 00:08:49.800 And in this sense, this living only in the moment, 00:08:50.280 --> 00:08:57.160 means that the turning points as an actual occurrence 00:08:57.160 --> 00:08:58.440 don't make sense to us. 00:08:59.460 --> 00:09:02.320 They imply a before and an after, 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:04.120 which aren't real. 00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:06.179 Well, why aren't they real? 00:09:07.019 --> 00:09:10.720 Well, because everything gets collapsed into the present, 00:09:11.659 --> 00:09:14.060 where what guides my behavior 00:09:14.060 --> 00:09:18.259 is more of an intuition or a feeling. 00:09:19.899 --> 00:09:21.759 Some years back, there was a popular song 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:22.919 that had this line, 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:26.740 it can't be wrong if it feels so right. 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:33.080 How do you think we can manage living with that philosophy? 00:09:33.220 --> 00:09:35.480 That reminds me, for a couple of years, 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.060 Stella and I were privileged to get to know, 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:40.399 when we were living in Egypt, 00:09:40.899 --> 00:09:43.180 a man named Ashley Null. 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:47.600 Apart from being well-known as a top Cranmer scholar, 00:09:48.019 --> 00:09:51.419 he's well-known for a piece of wisdom 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:55.700 that he has articulated and is floating around out there. 00:09:55.700 --> 00:09:58.220 And he said this, I think I heard him say it in person, 00:09:59.660 --> 00:10:02.660 what the heart loves, the will chooses, 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:05.000 and the mind justifies. 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:09.980 What the heart loves, the will chooses, 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:11.740 and the mind justifies. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.680 Consider what this means for the before condition, 00:10:17.640 --> 00:10:19.740 when you and I were pagans, 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.940 possibly very decent pagans, 00:10:23.460 --> 00:10:26.259 but living still without hope 00:10:26.259 --> 00:10:28.620 and without God in the world nonetheless. 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:32.480 As pagans, it makes good sense to say, 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:34.139 I can live as I please 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:37.720 because I love earthly pleasures. 00:10:38.180 --> 00:10:39.680 It makes good sense to say 00:10:39.680 --> 00:10:41.860 that whatever path you choose 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:44.039 is right for you 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:45.839 because we love the idea 00:10:45.839 --> 00:10:48.639 that we're masters of our own destiny. 00:10:49.559 --> 00:10:50.980 And it makes good sense 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:53.919 to say that all reality is one 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:57.279 because we've come to love what idea? 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.299 That our deepest self is divine. 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:05.500 To complete the picture of our actual state 00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:07.299 in all of our confusion, 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:10.679 we have to say that we're not just that, confused, 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.039 but in a state of disobedience 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:14.879 and under judgment. 00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:17.399 And here you don't take my word for it, 00:11:17.459 --> 00:11:20.219 but you look with me at verses 5 and 6. 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:24.239 But they will give an account. 00:11:24.659 --> 00:11:26.639 They will have to give account to him 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:28.859 who's ready to judge the living and the dead. 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:34.199 And then there's this wonderful teaching 00:11:34.199 --> 00:11:35.759 that Peter gives us. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:39.099 For this is the reason the gospel was preached 00:11:39.100 --> 00:11:41.200 even to those who are dead 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:43.659 so that they might be judged 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:45.259 according to human standards 00:11:45.259 --> 00:11:46.519 in regard to the body, 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:48.820 but live according to God 00:11:48.820 --> 00:11:50.019 in regard to the spirit. 00:11:51.420 --> 00:11:53.960 Now, there's some debate 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:55.040 about who the dead are 00:11:55.040 --> 00:11:58.759 and I don't think we need to get 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:01.120 into that debate here 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.399 because I think the point is this. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.180 As the gospel is proclaimed, 00:12:06.179 --> 00:12:10.159 whenever and wherever God chooses to send it, 00:12:11.359 --> 00:12:14.259 not only is life promised through the spirit, 00:12:15.199 --> 00:12:16.120 not only that, 00:12:17.899 --> 00:12:21.479 although that's the marvelous joy 00:12:21.479 --> 00:12:23.120 that comes through the gospel, 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:27.219 but rebellion against the moral law 00:12:27.219 --> 00:12:30.059 that you and I know through nature 00:12:30.059 --> 00:12:31.500 and through human conscience 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:32.980 is made plain. 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:36.700 The rebellion is made plain 00:12:36.700 --> 00:12:38.840 so that as Paul puts it in Romans 1, 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:40.740 we are without excuse. 00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:44.080 Before we turn to part two 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:45.299 of this three-part sermon, 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:46.740 we might ask, 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:48.220 how is a turning point 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:51.679 even supposed to break into a system 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:53.799 that makes them impossible? 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:55.679 Think about it. 00:12:56.419 --> 00:12:57.559 I mean, it's a system 00:12:57.559 --> 00:12:59.700 where there's nothing external 00:12:59.700 --> 00:13:01.140 to the system itself 00:13:01.140 --> 00:13:03.140 and where the only way 00:13:03.140 --> 00:13:03.960 to know anything 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:06.840 is through your intuitions, 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:08.220 through your feelings. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:09.960 Use the force. 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:12.580 Luke? 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:14.320 Any Luke's here? 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:14.580 No. 00:13:16.100 --> 00:13:17.379 Well, humanly speaking, 00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:18.120 it's impossible. 00:13:19.020 --> 00:13:19.300 Right? 00:13:19.780 --> 00:13:22.180 And it takes a special act of God. 00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:23.440 It takes what Lewis called 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:24.300 a grand miracle. 00:13:25.020 --> 00:13:26.300 And the author himself, 00:13:26.920 --> 00:13:27.780 if you love literature, 00:13:27.920 --> 00:13:28.820 I know there's a few here, 00:13:28.820 --> 00:13:30.640 the author himself 00:13:30.640 --> 00:13:33.140 has to put in an appearance 00:13:33.140 --> 00:13:33.820 in his book. 00:13:35.180 --> 00:13:37.580 The creator has to enter creation, 00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:40.400 but without collapsing himself into it. 00:13:42.260 --> 00:13:42.960 Part two. 00:13:43.660 --> 00:13:44.820 So back to our passage. 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:46.480 Where do we see such a turning point? 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:48.600 Well, it's right at the beginning 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:50.820 in verses one and two. 00:13:50.940 --> 00:13:52.600 Therefore, follow with me. 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:53.700 Verse one. 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:56.700 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, 00:13:58.020 --> 00:14:01.360 arm yourselves also with the same attitude, 00:14:02.020 --> 00:14:04.020 because whoever suffers in the body 00:14:04.020 --> 00:14:05.500 is done with sin. 00:14:06.259 --> 00:14:07.320 As a result, 00:14:07.680 --> 00:14:10.500 they do not live the rest of their earthly lives 00:14:10.500 --> 00:14:12.000 for evil human desires, 00:14:12.280 --> 00:14:14.680 but rather for the will of God. 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:18.860 Brothers and sisters, 00:14:18.860 --> 00:14:19.820 at Messiah West, 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.680 this is the turning point 00:14:21.680 --> 00:14:23.519 that creates a before 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:24.800 and after 00:14:24.800 --> 00:14:26.220 in human history. 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:28.360 And as we'll see, 00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:30.120 it's not just a historical 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:31.700 before and after, 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:33.560 although it's no less than that. 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:35.919 It involves a personal 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:37.899 before and after. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:41.240 Let's camp out on the historical side first. 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:42.440 That's over here, you guys. 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:43.899 Historical side. 00:14:43.899 --> 00:14:46.779 What does it mean to say 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:49.259 that Jesus suffered in the body, 00:14:49.559 --> 00:14:50.659 in his body? 00:14:51.819 --> 00:14:53.319 Well, the answer actually 00:14:53.319 --> 00:14:55.879 is there plainly five verses earlier 00:14:55.879 --> 00:14:58.659 that we heard last Sunday. 00:14:59.079 --> 00:15:02.720 For Christ also suffered once for sins, 00:15:02.819 --> 00:15:04.379 the righteous for the unrighteous, 00:15:04.579 --> 00:15:06.519 that he might bring us to God, 00:15:06.819 --> 00:15:07.539 and here's the key, 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:10.559 being put to death in the flesh, 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:13.340 but made alive in the Spirit. 00:15:13.340 --> 00:15:15.500 That's 3 verse 18. 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:18.820 For Jesus to suffer in the body 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:19.820 didn't just mean 00:15:19.820 --> 00:15:22.280 that he experienced pain. 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:24.519 A surface reading 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:25.759 might make us think that. 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:26.399 It means, 00:15:26.460 --> 00:15:27.399 you need the whole context, 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:29.280 it means here that he died, 00:15:30.560 --> 00:15:32.100 and that by his death, 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:34.300 sinners can be made right with God. 00:15:36.300 --> 00:15:37.860 Satan and his team 00:15:37.860 --> 00:15:39.639 have been dying 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:41.780 to get that turning point 00:15:41.780 --> 00:15:42.980 removed from history. 00:15:43.340 --> 00:15:45.820 They'd like us to hear the words, 00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:47.060 move along, 00:15:47.660 --> 00:15:49.100 nothing to see here. 00:15:51.420 --> 00:15:52.580 Recall how Satan 00:15:52.580 --> 00:15:55.639 tried to derail things 00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:56.960 when he tempted Jesus 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:57.680 in the wilderness. 00:15:57.679 --> 00:16:00.959 And we can help Satan 00:16:00.959 --> 00:16:02.099 and his team 00:16:02.099 --> 00:16:04.159 to get that message out 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:06.199 by massaging 00:16:06.199 --> 00:16:08.339 or dropping 00:16:08.339 --> 00:16:10.659 one part or another 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:12.959 of what Peter says here, 00:16:13.339 --> 00:16:16.299 Christ suffered once for sins. 00:16:17.419 --> 00:16:18.979 Here's how we've managed to do that. 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:21.039 Maybe you can think of other ways 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:21.899 that we've managed to do it, 00:16:21.939 --> 00:16:23.059 but I came up with 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:24.159 at least three ways. 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:26.379 we've proposed the idea 00:16:26.379 --> 00:16:28.299 that Jesus didn't die 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:31.839 since God would not let his prophet 00:16:31.839 --> 00:16:35.039 undergo such an indignity. 00:16:36.079 --> 00:16:38.139 Someone else had to die in his place. 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:43.539 Or we've said Jesus didn't die for sins. 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:45.959 God being God 00:16:45.959 --> 00:16:47.500 would not need for that to happen. 00:16:48.699 --> 00:16:50.399 Or we've said whatever happened, 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:51.539 it doesn't really matter 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:54.480 because what happens in history 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:56.079 is an illusion. 00:16:56.899 --> 00:16:57.980 Suffering isn't real. 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:00.519 With any of these, 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:02.539 we can retain a form of godliness, 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:04.279 something, 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:05.940 a kind of spirituality 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:07.920 that will compel others, 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:10.400 but we're still without a savior. 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:13.680 But let's face a challenge 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:15.900 we often hear head on. 00:17:16.820 --> 00:17:18.160 We may be ready to accept 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:19.279 that Jesus suffered 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.420 and that his suffering is real, 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:24.840 but why did someone have to die 00:17:24.840 --> 00:17:27.000 for sinners to be forgiven? 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:28.240 Have you heard that question? 00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:30.100 I'm sure you have 00:17:30.100 --> 00:17:31.400 in one way or another. 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:34.740 But think of what's embedded 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:35.580 in the question. 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:38.319 It's like insisting 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:40.460 that if God wants to speak to me, 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:43.359 he needs to do it directly 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:45.399 rather than send someone 00:17:45.399 --> 00:17:46.939 to tell me what he wants to tell me. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:49.179 The truth is, 00:17:49.299 --> 00:17:50.879 God could forgive directly 00:17:50.879 --> 00:17:52.199 if he chose, 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:54.339 just as he could, 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:55.259 if he chose, 00:17:55.859 --> 00:17:58.220 put everything right in an instant. 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:02.019 The fact that Scripture teaches 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:03.839 consistently that he died 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:06.679 what we call a substitutionary death, 00:18:06.779 --> 00:18:10.439 which we get from phrases like, 00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:11.079 for sins, 00:18:11.199 --> 00:18:12.519 the just for the unjust, 00:18:13.579 --> 00:18:15.379 invites us first and foremost 00:18:15.379 --> 00:18:18.259 to receive the means of salvation 00:18:18.259 --> 00:18:18.919 he provides, 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:21.579 simply because the sovereign God 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:25.059 has chosen to provide it that way. 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:27.119 If we start there, 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:29.240 just as a disciple does 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:32.039 when he hears Jesus' words, 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:32.980 come follow me, 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:34.880 we'll begin to marvel 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:35.880 at the way he chose 00:18:35.880 --> 00:18:37.059 to reconcile the world 00:18:37.059 --> 00:18:37.720 to himself, 00:18:38.120 --> 00:18:39.559 precisely through Jesus, 00:18:39.819 --> 00:18:40.920 precisely in the way 00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:41.480 that he did. 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:45.500 Consider Hebrews 2, 9-10. 00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:47.500 But we see him 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:50.400 who for a little while 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:52.220 was made lower than the angels, 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:54.259 namely Jesus, 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:55.880 crowned with glory and honor 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.140 because of the suffering of death, 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:01.180 so that by the grace of God 00:19:01.180 --> 00:19:04.480 he might taste death for everyone. 00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:06.540 For it was fitting 00:19:06.540 --> 00:19:08.020 that he for whom 00:19:08.020 --> 00:19:09.980 and by whom all things exist 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:11.880 in bringing many sons to glory 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:13.480 should make the founder 00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:15.060 of their salvation perfect 00:19:15.060 --> 00:19:16.680 through suffering. 00:19:18.760 --> 00:19:20.920 God's means in God's time. 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:23.420 What we see here is this, 00:19:23.420 --> 00:19:24.700 that God's purpose 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:27.180 is to reconcile us to himself 00:19:27.180 --> 00:19:28.560 not directly, 00:19:29.560 --> 00:19:30.940 but in and through 00:19:30.940 --> 00:19:32.620 his son's offering of himself 00:19:32.620 --> 00:19:33.420 in our place. 00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:36.920 His purpose is to deal with sin 00:19:36.920 --> 00:19:39.140 and death not directly, 00:19:39.840 --> 00:19:40.800 but through the death 00:19:40.800 --> 00:19:42.300 that conquered death. 00:19:44.600 --> 00:19:46.340 And by the same principle 00:19:46.340 --> 00:19:47.460 we can say this, 00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:50.320 God's purpose is to cleanse us 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:52.039 not directly, 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.559 but by his word. 00:19:55.980 --> 00:19:57.500 Remember what Jesus said 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.319 to his disciples 00:19:58.319 --> 00:19:59.439 in John 15, 3. 00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:01.399 You're clean by what? 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:03.919 By the word 00:20:03.919 --> 00:20:06.200 that I have spoken to you. 00:20:07.819 --> 00:20:09.480 The wonder of this truth, 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:11.679 the truth that God uses 00:20:11.679 --> 00:20:14.179 means that he sees fit to use, 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:15.059 and I'm not talking about 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:15.899 apart from the work 00:20:15.899 --> 00:20:16.639 of the Holy Spirit. 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:17.919 I'm saying with the work 00:20:17.919 --> 00:20:18.679 of the Holy Spirit. 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:20.840 But he uses these means, 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:22.900 reminds us that salvation 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:24.160 comes from him. 00:20:25.620 --> 00:20:26.799 We receive it 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:27.880 as we look to him 00:20:27.880 --> 00:20:29.920 and not into our hearts 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:32.140 or into our own resources 00:20:32.140 --> 00:20:33.420 that we might contribute. 00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:35.279 We don't decide 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:36.480 which garments 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:37.160 we're to wear 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:37.820 to the feast. 00:20:39.220 --> 00:20:40.460 And this brings me now 00:20:40.460 --> 00:20:41.120 to this side, 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:42.120 to the personal, 00:20:42.340 --> 00:20:43.759 to the personal 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:47.440 aspect of the before 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:48.000 and after 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:49.759 that Jesus' death 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:50.500 brings about. 00:20:50.879 --> 00:20:51.819 To the change 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:52.279 it brings 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:53.379 to your life 00:20:53.379 --> 00:20:53.920 and to mine. 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:55.740 It's there in verses 00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:56.819 1 and 2, 00:20:57.119 --> 00:20:58.900 which I'll read again 00:20:58.900 --> 00:20:59.920 with a different emphasis. 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:00.819 Therefore, 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:01.839 since Christ suffered 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:02.599 in his body, 00:21:03.099 --> 00:21:04.160 arm yourselves also 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:05.160 with the same attitude, 00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:06.460 because whoever 00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:08.180 suffers in the body 00:21:08.180 --> 00:21:09.140 is done with sin. 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:11.339 As a result, 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:12.439 they do not live 00:21:12.439 --> 00:21:13.139 the rest of their 00:21:13.139 --> 00:21:13.839 earthly lives 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:15.139 for evil human desires, 00:21:15.379 --> 00:21:17.099 but rather for the will of God. 00:21:18.699 --> 00:21:19.980 What's Peter doing here? 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:22.779 He's putting Jesus' 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:24.159 suffering death 00:21:24.159 --> 00:21:26.259 side by side 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:27.519 with the suffering 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:28.240 of believers, 00:21:28.939 --> 00:21:30.119 of those who, 00:21:30.379 --> 00:21:30.899 through the grace 00:21:30.899 --> 00:21:31.439 and mercy 00:21:31.439 --> 00:21:32.480 of their baptism, 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:34.079 have died to sin 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:35.699 so that they are free 00:21:35.699 --> 00:21:37.079 to serve God. 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:38.559 Now, 00:21:38.579 --> 00:21:39.099 what's the point 00:21:39.099 --> 00:21:39.960 of putting them 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:40.619 side by side 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:41.139 like this? 00:21:42.579 --> 00:21:43.039 Well, 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:43.939 clearly the command 00:21:43.939 --> 00:21:44.879 to imitate Jesus 00:21:44.879 --> 00:21:45.879 is part of it, 00:21:46.199 --> 00:21:48.240 as I mentioned earlier, 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:49.480 but there's a much 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:50.539 stronger link 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:51.359 between Jesus' 00:21:51.639 --> 00:21:52.699 suffering death 00:21:52.699 --> 00:21:55.159 and our own 00:21:55.159 --> 00:21:56.519 suffering for his sake. 00:21:58.819 --> 00:21:59.980 And Peter uses, 00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:01.500 for that stronger link, 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:02.639 he uses the word 00:22:02.639 --> 00:22:03.079 participation. 00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:03.899 participation. 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:07.139 In next week's passage, 00:22:07.399 --> 00:22:08.480 we'll hear Peter say, 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:10.419 Rejoice 00:22:10.419 --> 00:22:13.259 insofar as you share 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:15.179 Christ's sufferings, 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:18.259 that you may also rejoice 00:22:18.259 --> 00:22:19.359 and be glad 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:20.759 when his glory is revealed. 00:22:22.439 --> 00:22:24.599 The wonder of this 00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:25.919 is that as you and I 00:22:25.919 --> 00:22:27.299 surrender our lives 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:27.879 to God, 00:22:28.919 --> 00:22:29.759 what's he do? 00:22:30.419 --> 00:22:31.819 He includes us 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:32.699 in the turning point. 00:22:33.079 --> 00:22:35.059 That third hymn we sang 00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:38.319 made this point for me. 00:22:39.460 --> 00:22:40.960 But we're included 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:42.199 in the turning point. 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:43.939 That's how Paul saw it 00:22:43.939 --> 00:22:44.799 when he said, 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:46.299 and here we're talking 00:22:46.299 --> 00:22:46.819 about a man 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:47.619 who persecuted 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:48.299 the Christians. 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:49.759 He said, 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:51.319 I've been crucified 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:52.319 with Christ. 00:22:53.579 --> 00:22:55.659 That's what he's getting at. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:57.139 We're included 00:22:57.139 --> 00:22:58.119 in the turning point. 00:22:58.399 --> 00:22:59.659 We're drawn into it. 00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:01.140 I no longer live, 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:01.660 says Paul, 00:23:01.820 --> 00:23:03.519 but Christ lives in me. 00:23:04.600 --> 00:23:06.200 It's not that Paul is gone, 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:07.560 but that there's this 00:23:07.560 --> 00:23:08.320 participation 00:23:08.320 --> 00:23:11.340 in Christ's life 00:23:11.340 --> 00:23:13.440 that Paul is speaking of 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:14.019 and that Peter 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:14.960 is pointing us to. 00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:16.259 Well, 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:17.380 what's the theology 00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:19.600 of sharing 00:23:19.600 --> 00:23:20.960 in Christ's sufferings? 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:23.340 I'm sure that books, 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:25.480 I know that books 00:23:25.480 --> 00:23:26.160 and books and books 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:27.220 have been written about it. 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:29.440 How should we understand it? 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:31.579 The point is not, 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:32.059 I think, 00:23:32.140 --> 00:23:32.660 that Jesus' 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:33.779 suffering death 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:35.440 is somehow extended 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:37.460 or prolonged, 00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:38.140 if you like, 00:23:38.700 --> 00:23:39.620 in the suffering 00:23:39.620 --> 00:23:41.000 and death 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:42.039 of his people. 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:43.440 Rather, 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:45.100 it's that through 00:23:45.100 --> 00:23:45.880 his once 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:46.840 and for all 00:23:46.840 --> 00:23:47.319 death 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:48.500 on the cross, 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:50.400 we who receive 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:51.299 him by faith 00:23:51.299 --> 00:23:52.819 are included 00:23:52.819 --> 00:23:54.579 in his death 00:23:54.579 --> 00:23:55.220 and resurrection. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.279 That's a different thing. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:00.039 Our lives 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:00.759 are taken up 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:01.299 into his 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:02.299 so that we can say 00:24:02.299 --> 00:24:03.279 that sin 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:04.339 no longer reigns 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:05.039 in our lives 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:06.619 because Jesus does. 00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:08.259 And we can say, 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:09.319 by the same token, 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:10.680 our death 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:12.119 is taken up 00:24:12.119 --> 00:24:12.720 into his 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:15.720 so that his victory 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:16.339 over death 00:24:16.339 --> 00:24:18.079 is also ours. 00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:21.420 Now, 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:22.799 I don't know 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:23.839 how you hear that, 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:25.180 but to my ear, 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:26.259 this message 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:28.220 of being included 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:28.859 in Christ 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:29.579 by faith, 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:32.220 or as the theologians 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:33.039 speak about it, 00:24:33.140 --> 00:24:34.259 union with Christ 00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:35.099 by the Spirit, 00:24:36.019 --> 00:24:36.920 is a word 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:37.779 of real comfort. 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:41.079 And it's not as though 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:42.200 it's a truth 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:42.980 or a reality 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:44.680 only for people 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:45.700 on this side 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:46.500 of the cross. 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:47.960 Why? 00:24:48.140 --> 00:24:48.299 Well, 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:49.619 the Israelites 00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:51.200 who settled 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:52.299 in the promised land, 00:24:52.539 --> 00:24:53.279 there were some 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.240 who never knew Egypt, 00:24:55.160 --> 00:24:56.140 but yet they could 00:24:56.140 --> 00:24:57.680 still consider themselves 00:24:57.680 --> 00:24:59.119 part of the Exodus 00:24:59.119 --> 00:24:59.579 saying, 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:00.839 God brought us 00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:01.500 out of Egypt. 00:25:02.059 --> 00:25:03.000 And that's how 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:03.759 they reminded 00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:04.380 themselves 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:05.720 and embraced 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:07.039 God's promise, 00:25:07.160 --> 00:25:08.160 his faithfulness, 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:09.619 and they took 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:10.579 comfort in it. 00:25:10.579 --> 00:25:12.699 God brought us 00:25:12.699 --> 00:25:15.639 into the promised land, 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:16.919 so too he will 00:25:16.919 --> 00:25:17.960 one day bring us 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:18.939 into the promised 00:25:18.939 --> 00:25:20.019 new creation. 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:21.500 We can be sure 00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:22.000 of that, 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:23.699 and we can take 00:25:23.699 --> 00:25:26.279 hold of that promise 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:27.879 and experience 00:25:27.879 --> 00:25:28.659 the joy 00:25:28.659 --> 00:25:30.139 that comes 00:25:30.139 --> 00:25:31.339 with taking hold 00:25:31.339 --> 00:25:31.619 of it. 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:33.659 And once that happens, 00:25:34.159 --> 00:25:35.220 we can't help 00:25:35.220 --> 00:25:35.859 but share it 00:25:35.859 --> 00:25:36.399 with others. 00:25:37.179 --> 00:25:38.460 There's a strong 00:25:38.460 --> 00:25:39.399 missionary theme. 00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:41.000 It's a subtle one, 00:25:41.060 --> 00:25:42.180 but it's a strong one 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:43.060 in 1 Peter. 00:25:45.140 --> 00:25:46.140 We can share 00:25:46.140 --> 00:25:46.759 this with others. 00:25:46.840 --> 00:25:47.580 We can share it 00:25:47.580 --> 00:25:48.000 with others 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:50.019 who are used 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:50.440 to living 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:51.380 only in the now 00:25:51.380 --> 00:25:52.880 and who think 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:53.540 of the past 00:25:53.540 --> 00:25:54.600 as simply gone 00:25:54.600 --> 00:25:55.600 and the future 00:25:55.600 --> 00:25:57.080 as radically open 00:25:57.080 --> 00:25:57.920 and who therefore 00:25:57.920 --> 00:25:59.019 despair 00:25:59.019 --> 00:25:59.880 when the now 00:25:59.880 --> 00:26:01.480 starts to look 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:02.060 meaningless. 00:26:03.220 --> 00:26:04.500 And there's a real 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:06.000 evangelistic opportunity 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:06.440 there. 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:08.600 As we do speak 00:26:08.600 --> 00:26:09.160 with neighbors, 00:26:09.160 --> 00:26:09.580 friends, 00:26:09.660 --> 00:26:10.240 and colleagues, 00:26:10.600 --> 00:26:11.620 as God gives us 00:26:11.620 --> 00:26:12.240 the opportunity, 00:26:12.380 --> 00:26:13.320 I think it's important 00:26:13.320 --> 00:26:14.600 to acknowledge 00:26:14.600 --> 00:26:15.900 that we will 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:16.940 necessarily have 00:26:16.940 --> 00:26:17.620 a before 00:26:17.620 --> 00:26:18.900 and an after 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:19.740 story to tell. 00:26:19.820 --> 00:26:20.600 I say that even 00:26:20.600 --> 00:26:22.080 as someone 00:26:22.080 --> 00:26:23.240 who was raised 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:24.300 by godly parents 00:26:24.300 --> 00:26:25.480 and who knew 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:26.440 of God's grace 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:27.980 as long as I can 00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:28.420 remember 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:29.320 in the home. 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:31.320 In my case, 00:26:31.360 --> 00:26:32.080 at some point, 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:34.019 I started down 00:26:34.019 --> 00:26:35.040 the path of thinking 00:26:35.040 --> 00:26:35.779 in essentially 00:26:35.779 --> 00:26:36.720 pagan ways 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:38.400 in search 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:38.960 of what I thought 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:39.700 might be a more 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:41.360 respectable form 00:26:41.360 --> 00:26:42.079 of Christianity 00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:43.319 than the one 00:26:43.319 --> 00:26:44.120 I had grown up 00:26:44.120 --> 00:26:45.380 with there 00:26:45.380 --> 00:26:47.000 in some slums 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:48.039 in Mexico City. 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:49.839 And disregarding 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:50.759 what I had learned 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:51.880 of how devastating 00:26:51.880 --> 00:26:52.680 sin is, 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:54.019 I came close 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:54.640 to trusting 00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:56.200 in an idea 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:57.400 instead 00:26:57.400 --> 00:26:58.740 of a person. 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:00.440 and that idea 00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:01.680 was something 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:02.500 that goes by 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:02.900 the name 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:03.460 of a kind 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:04.539 of Christ 00:27:04.539 --> 00:27:05.339 principle. 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:07.620 As soon as you 00:27:07.620 --> 00:27:08.480 take the historical 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:09.039 and you make 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:09.559 a principle 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:10.180 out of it, 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:11.240 you're going to 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:11.880 run into some 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:12.859 big snags. 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:13.839 And I did. 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:15.599 Because I started 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:16.440 thinking that there's 00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:17.859 this Christ principle 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:18.900 that teaches 00:27:18.900 --> 00:27:20.740 whereby I could say 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:22.240 that God is at work 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.259 in a saving way 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:24.620 in all the religions. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:27.599 To cut to the chase, 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:28.959 I needed my mind 00:27:28.959 --> 00:27:29.639 to be renewed. 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:31.539 I needed to repent 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:32.439 of idolatry, 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:33.339 of trying to make 00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:34.500 God in my own image, 00:27:35.159 --> 00:27:35.799 of thinking that 00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:36.839 I could improve 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:39.179 on the simple story 00:27:39.179 --> 00:27:40.799 of God's redemption 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:42.559 in and through 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:43.679 the life and death 00:27:43.679 --> 00:27:44.179 and resurrection 00:27:44.179 --> 00:27:44.799 of Jesus. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:48.119 I promised a part three 00:27:48.119 --> 00:27:50.459 and you'll get one 00:27:50.459 --> 00:27:51.699 because as long as 00:27:51.699 --> 00:27:52.779 Jesus hasn't come back, 00:27:52.839 --> 00:27:53.359 we'll need one. 00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:55.339 That's because 00:27:55.339 --> 00:27:55.839 while we're 00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:57.319 God's redeemed people, 00:27:58.179 --> 00:27:59.079 regenerated by 00:27:59.079 --> 00:27:59.819 His mercy 00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:01.259 into a living hope, 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:02.719 as we learned 00:28:02.719 --> 00:28:03.939 back in chapter one, 00:28:04.719 --> 00:28:06.240 and included in Christ 00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:07.059 so that we already 00:28:07.059 --> 00:28:08.119 have a foretaste 00:28:08.119 --> 00:28:09.980 of the eternal kingdom, 00:28:10.819 --> 00:28:12.819 we're still on this side 00:28:12.819 --> 00:28:14.259 of the new creation. 00:28:14.639 --> 00:28:15.599 To borrow something 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:16.379 from Martin Luther, 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:19.039 God is still at work 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:21.259 helping us get used 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:22.159 to our justification. 00:28:23.659 --> 00:28:24.439 That's what 00:28:24.439 --> 00:28:25.639 sanctification is. 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:28.020 getting used to 00:28:28.020 --> 00:28:28.800 our new clothing, 00:28:28.800 --> 00:28:29.700 if you like. 00:28:30.860 --> 00:28:32.460 So God has instructions 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:33.160 for us 00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:34.340 for the rest of the journey. 00:28:35.280 --> 00:28:36.240 Let's hear them. 00:28:37.020 --> 00:28:38.060 In verse seven, 00:28:38.140 --> 00:28:38.720 he starts 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:39.880 with these words, 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:41.180 the end of all things 00:28:41.180 --> 00:28:41.660 is near. 00:28:42.340 --> 00:28:43.680 That's not an instruction, 00:28:43.860 --> 00:28:44.560 that's a preface. 00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:46.460 And I think we should 00:28:46.460 --> 00:28:47.640 pause at that preface 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:48.520 for just a second 00:28:48.520 --> 00:28:50.040 and remind ourselves 00:28:50.040 --> 00:28:51.440 that whether we're 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:52.960 first century Christians 00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:55.120 or 21st century Christians, 00:28:55.400 --> 00:28:57.079 our task is the same, 00:28:57.860 --> 00:28:58.500 to think, 00:28:58.960 --> 00:28:59.920 to behave, 00:29:00.100 --> 00:29:00.980 to worship, 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:01.960 to work 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:03.299 in the light 00:29:03.299 --> 00:29:04.680 of Jesus' return. 00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:07.380 So still in verse seven, 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:08.500 let's hear the instructions. 00:29:09.180 --> 00:29:09.360 Therefore, 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:10.160 be alert 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:11.279 and of sober mind 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:12.299 so that you may pray. 00:29:13.779 --> 00:29:14.460 Above all, 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:15.500 love each other deeply 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:16.700 because love covers 00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:18.279 over a multitude of sins. 00:29:18.860 --> 00:29:19.900 Offer hospitality 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:20.980 to one another 00:29:20.980 --> 00:29:21.800 without grumbling. 00:29:23.060 --> 00:29:23.600 Each of you 00:29:23.600 --> 00:29:24.019 should use 00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:24.640 whatever gift 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:25.540 you have received 00:29:25.540 --> 00:29:26.380 to serve others 00:29:26.380 --> 00:29:28.220 as faithful stewards 00:29:28.220 --> 00:29:29.680 of God's grace 00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:30.820 in its various forms. 00:29:31.780 --> 00:29:32.780 If anyone speaks, 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:34.480 he must do so 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:36.880 as if speaking 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:38.380 the very words of God. 00:29:39.340 --> 00:29:40.740 If anyone serves, 00:29:41.220 --> 00:29:42.080 they should do so 00:29:42.080 --> 00:29:42.740 with the strength 00:29:42.740 --> 00:29:43.660 God provides 00:29:43.660 --> 00:29:45.280 so that in all things 00:29:45.280 --> 00:29:46.420 God may be praised 00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:48.960 through Jesus Christ. 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:50.180 to him be glory 00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:50.799 and power 00:29:50.799 --> 00:29:51.940 forever and ever. 00:29:52.059 --> 00:29:52.380 Amen. 00:29:54.900 --> 00:29:56.200 What's implied here 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:57.779 when we read a passage, 00:29:57.960 --> 00:29:58.279 we say, 00:29:58.519 --> 00:29:59.519 why is he saying it 00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:00.340 the way he's saying it? 00:30:00.360 --> 00:30:00.480 Well, 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:01.799 what's implied here 00:30:01.799 --> 00:30:04.160 is that as long 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:04.920 as we're pilgrims, 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:05.779 we're going to struggle 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:07.000 in some key areas. 00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:08.360 You and I, 00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:09.579 we're going to be able 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:10.759 to tick all these boxes. 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:11.440 Yep, 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:12.480 done that. 00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:14.740 And let's look 00:30:14.740 --> 00:30:16.100 at three main areas briefly. 00:30:16.099 --> 00:30:18.179 The first is in the area 00:30:18.179 --> 00:30:19.859 of our mental habits. 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:21.539 That's why Peter says, 00:30:21.719 --> 00:30:22.219 be alert 00:30:22.219 --> 00:30:23.959 and of sober mind, 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:25.539 reminding us 00:30:25.539 --> 00:30:26.899 that if we're distracted, 00:30:27.319 --> 00:30:28.980 if we're not watching 00:30:28.980 --> 00:30:29.679 and waiting, 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:31.319 we're going to find it 00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:32.119 very hard 00:30:32.119 --> 00:30:33.879 to commune with God, 00:30:34.459 --> 00:30:35.439 to hear his voice, 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:36.119 to pray. 00:30:38.859 --> 00:30:40.079 The second area 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:41.259 is in our care 00:30:41.259 --> 00:30:41.959 for one another 00:30:41.959 --> 00:30:44.159 within the Christian family, 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:45.579 within the body of Christ. 00:30:46.339 --> 00:30:47.679 Our default setting 00:30:47.679 --> 00:30:48.679 is to look out 00:30:48.679 --> 00:30:49.500 for ourselves. 00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:51.000 This is part of our, 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:52.139 in part, 00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:52.859 part of our, 00:30:53.079 --> 00:30:55.819 of our self-reliance culture, 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:57.639 which is not universal, 00:30:57.919 --> 00:30:58.460 by the way. 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:00.619 But anyway, 00:31:00.819 --> 00:31:01.879 it encourages it 00:31:01.879 --> 00:31:02.480 in some ways 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:03.460 to look out for ourselves, 00:31:03.539 --> 00:31:04.879 to make life secure 00:31:04.879 --> 00:31:05.699 and as predictable 00:31:05.699 --> 00:31:06.379 as possible 00:31:06.379 --> 00:31:07.259 for ourselves 00:31:07.259 --> 00:31:08.139 and for our families. 00:31:08.779 --> 00:31:09.679 And with that, 00:31:09.740 --> 00:31:11.199 we're not naturally alert 00:31:11.199 --> 00:31:13.179 to those around us 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:14.680 who could use 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.220 our friendship 00:31:15.220 --> 00:31:16.160 and our hospitality. 00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:17.860 And we offer, 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:19.240 carry resentment 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:21.019 in our hearts 00:31:21.019 --> 00:31:22.660 towards other Christians. 00:31:24.259 --> 00:31:25.660 But as we remember 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:27.400 where God has brought us 00:31:27.400 --> 00:31:29.580 and ask him 00:31:29.580 --> 00:31:30.660 to help us see others 00:31:30.660 --> 00:31:31.400 with compassion, 00:31:31.779 --> 00:31:33.019 I believe we can learn 00:31:33.019 --> 00:31:34.380 something of what it means 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:35.700 for love to cover 00:31:35.700 --> 00:31:36.920 a multitude of sins. 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:39.080 I think God has been good. 00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:40.500 He's given us examples 00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:43.460 of how he's turned people around 00:31:43.460 --> 00:31:44.419 so they've learned 00:31:44.419 --> 00:31:45.039 to forgive 00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:46.299 and to get on. 00:31:47.359 --> 00:31:48.319 The third area 00:31:48.319 --> 00:31:49.159 we struggle in 00:31:49.159 --> 00:31:49.899 is ministry. 00:31:50.539 --> 00:31:51.019 Whether we're, 00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:52.559 and we're all in ministry, 00:31:53.179 --> 00:31:54.019 whether we're called 00:31:54.019 --> 00:31:55.980 to preach 00:31:55.980 --> 00:31:57.339 and teach 00:31:57.339 --> 00:31:58.000 or to serve 00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:58.859 in some other way. 00:31:59.419 --> 00:32:00.319 There will be more 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:01.240 to come about this 00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:02.639 in chapter 5, 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:03.480 but here, 00:32:03.619 --> 00:32:04.799 Peter's point is this, 00:32:05.139 --> 00:32:06.659 as you use your gifts, 00:32:07.119 --> 00:32:07.819 don't forget 00:32:07.819 --> 00:32:08.859 the giver. 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:10.240 Don't forget the source. 00:32:11.059 --> 00:32:12.359 If God has given you 00:32:12.359 --> 00:32:12.859 an ability 00:32:12.859 --> 00:32:14.139 to put words together 00:32:14.139 --> 00:32:15.579 so that others 00:32:15.579 --> 00:32:16.799 can be edified 00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:18.240 through your writing, 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:19.500 through your explaining, 00:32:20.119 --> 00:32:20.919 through your preaching, 00:32:21.139 --> 00:32:21.939 through your teaching, 00:32:22.399 --> 00:32:23.819 he wants you to teach 00:32:23.819 --> 00:32:25.379 what he has revealed 00:32:25.379 --> 00:32:26.720 in his word 00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:28.879 and not pass off 00:32:28.879 --> 00:32:29.619 your own ideas 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:31.119 as brilliant as they may be 00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:32.439 as though they were his. 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:35.779 In the same way, 00:32:35.859 --> 00:32:36.599 if God's given you 00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:37.740 an ability to serve 00:32:37.740 --> 00:32:39.279 in practical ways 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:40.500 for building up 00:32:40.500 --> 00:32:41.460 the church also, 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:43.259 he wants you to serve 00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:44.819 in his power. 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:46.440 That's what the text says. 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:47.519 When you and I 00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:48.680 focus on the gifts 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:50.120 rather than the giver 00:32:50.120 --> 00:32:52.120 or we expect things 00:32:52.120 --> 00:32:53.460 from others in return, 00:32:53.680 --> 00:32:55.019 we show that we're actually 00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:56.359 relying on our own strength. 00:32:56.359 --> 00:32:57.019 We're running 00:32:57.019 --> 00:32:58.900 on our own steam. 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:01.579 Well, Peter ends 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:02.099 the passage 00:33:02.099 --> 00:33:02.960 by telling us 00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:04.460 why all these instructions 00:33:04.460 --> 00:33:05.660 are good and right 00:33:05.660 --> 00:33:07.299 and it's so that 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:08.140 all the glory 00:33:08.140 --> 00:33:09.539 will go to God. 00:33:11.140 --> 00:33:12.660 So let me just conclude 00:33:12.660 --> 00:33:14.819 and also to encourage 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:17.160 how we might pray 00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:19.079 about these things. 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:21.460 As we think of the moment 00:33:21.460 --> 00:33:22.380 we're living through 00:33:22.380 --> 00:33:23.259 in human history, 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:24.920 a fascinating moment, 00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:28.700 as we ask for wisdom 00:33:28.700 --> 00:33:30.060 to discern 00:33:30.060 --> 00:33:32.060 what time it is 00:33:32.060 --> 00:33:34.720 and to know 00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:36.220 where and when 00:33:36.220 --> 00:33:37.500 and how our obedience 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:38.220 fits 00:33:38.220 --> 00:33:40.060 into God's purposes, 00:33:42.060 --> 00:33:43.860 may the turning point 00:33:43.860 --> 00:33:44.800 that we've considered 00:33:44.800 --> 00:33:45.480 here this morning, 00:33:45.620 --> 00:33:46.420 may the cross 00:33:46.420 --> 00:33:47.920 be our foundation 00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:48.519 and hope 00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:50.240 and may the Holy Spirit 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:51.560 fill us with strength 00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:52.819 to endure 00:33:52.819 --> 00:33:54.659 as we keep our eyes 00:33:54.659 --> 00:33:55.419 fixed on Jesus.