Great. Thank you, guys. Welcome. My name is Chris. I'm, again, one of the elders here at Watermark.
If you have your booklet open, I encourage you to follow along in the Scripture passage.
Keep this with you. If you've got a pen, write notes in it, because we're going to be going on this journey
in 1 Peter over the next few weeks. And I'm excited about this book that we're going to go through together.
We were in Thailand a couple of years ago, and Fiona and I were going out kayaking in the sea.
And as we'd gone out a little way, we capsized. The boat overturned, and we realized we couldn't turn
the boat back over. And then I had this strange feeling, but we were being dragged out by the
current out into the sea. It was a frightening moment. And at that point, both of us realized
we had to fight with all of our strength to swim with the boat to get back to shore, because
our lives were at stake. But I don't know whether you have ever felt, if you were a Christian,
like you're this small minority swimming against the current of society, a society which seems
at times to have very different values, to have very different ways of thinking, to live
for very different things than the gospel calls us to. And sometimes it feels like it's easier
to go with the flow. And so as we saw from the video, we see how people are thinking in
the world around us. And yet, as we come through this series, and we want to look in this series
at 1 Peter, we want to see that actually God has called us to be a countercultural, a swimming
against the tide community.
And that's really what the book of 1 Peter is about. Because the book of 1 Peter is set
in Turkey. Now, you can see on the screen, Turkey, we went there this year with a few of us, a couple
of us from Watermark. And what happened is after Pentecost, when God's Spirit came upon God's
people, there were Jews from all around the area, including places like Cappadocia, and Asia,
and Pontus. And what you see is 30 years later, the gospel and the church has started to spread.
The gospel has started spreading. It's reached into Turkey, and small little house churches
have started springing up in the midst of the Roman Empire, people who are trusting in Jesus
as their savior. And we visited a couple of these places last year. Cappadocia, it's an amazing place
if you ever get to go there. Asia is where Ephesus and where a lot of the New Testament is written into.
And the apostle Peter is writing from Rome. And he's writing to these small minority groups in Rome
of people who feel like they're just swimming against the current of a Roman Empire,
which seems to stand against them. You know, this is just a couple of years before the Roman Emperor
Nero burnt the city of Rome to try and get planning permission to rebuild a great palace for himself.
And he blamed it on the Christians. And hundreds of Christians, including the apostle Peter,
were executed during that time. This is just a couple of years written before that time.
And it's a time where everyone around thought they were really tolerant.
You see, they had hundreds of gods. If you ever go to Turkey, you'll see temples everywhere.
And they'll accept any gods, except you can't be too exclusive.
If you say there's only one god, and you say there's only one way to god, well, that's intolerance.
And they also called Christians atheists. Because if you went to the company dinner,
you were expected to bow down and put some incense to the goddess of fertility, Artemis,
or the god of wine, Bacchus. But Christians wouldn't do that.
You know, we go to the cinema and watch people killing each other on the screen.
They would go to the amphitheater and watch gladiators killing each other in the flesh.
But the Christians wouldn't go.
Men would go to the baths and pick up prostitutes down there to play around with.
But Christians wouldn't.
And so Christians began to get called also haters of humanity.
You're so intolerant. You're no fun.
They will be mocked. You're narrow-minded.
You know, here is, this is one of the earliest graffitis about Christians.
What it is, it's a, instead of Christ on the cross, they placed a donkey there.
And it actually says, Alexamonus worships his god.
They would mock Christians for their beliefs.
This was the culture that one Peter is set in.
And it's not so different from many of our cultures.
And Peter is writing this letter to say to them,
keep swimming against the tide, guys.
Keep swimming against the tide.
Remember four things.
And here's the four things we're going to look at today.
Remember, you're a different people.
You have a different hope.
You have a different view of trials and suffering.
And you have a different joy.
Okay?
Are you with me?
Good.
Well, let's go and look into this passage together.
We're different people.
He starts off, verse 1 and 2, he says,
As elect exiles, to those who are elect exiles,
or it could be foreigners or sojourners, is another word.
Peter is using an Old Testament term described for the people of Israel
when they were in Egypt and then they wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus.
They were a people who were away from home, surrounded by a pagan people.
And he says,
Of the dispersion.
And the Jews during that time had been,
a couple of times had been sent away in exile,
scattered around to different countries, different nations.
And Peter is saying to these groups of Christians,
You are like the people of Israel in the past.
You are like God's people.
You're scattered.
You're not at home.
You're refugees in this world.
The values of the world conflict with the values of Christ and his kingdom.
And you may feel like you're a foreigner here.
You know, in England, if you walk into a village pub,
it's really interesting.
If you're not from there,
it's fascinating because everyone's having conversations.
And then you walk into the room and suddenly everyone stops and stares at you.
As if you're like some kind of extinct animal from outer space.
Because you're not from there.
You speak differently.
You think differently.
You don't belong.
And it's a weird feeling because we desperately want to belong.
Isn't that one of the reasons why if we're Christians,
sometimes we struggle to share our faith?
Because we want to belong.
We don't want to feel like a strange animal in society.
And Peter is saying,
If you're accepted around, that's amazing.
But don't be surprised if you're not.
If people don't get all your choices to follow Jesus.
Because this isn't your home.
You're a foreigner.
You're an exile here.
You know, some people think that the church should be right at the center of society.
You know, and they become very complaining that, you know,
society is no longer holding on to Christian values.
And they think everything is going wrong.
Well, Peter, actually, he would say,
No, in fact, it's normal Christianity when church is on the margins.
Because you're in exile.
Here's not your home.
Do you know, the last year,
the leader of the third biggest political party in the UK
had to resign because of his Christian beliefs
about things like abortion and sexuality.
And he wasn't allowed to stay as leader.
When I was at university,
they tried to shut down our Christian group on campus
because we refused to say that all religions led to God.
We were told we were intolerant.
And Peter says,
Don't be surprised.
That's normal Christianity
because we're exiles.
We're foreigners.
And yet, he says,
We're elect exiles.
And elect means chosen.
Notice he says,
By the foreknowledge of the Father,
the sanctification of the Spirit
for obedience to Jesus.
He's saying,
The whole of the Trinity
has his eye on you,
has chosen you,
and being on the margins is not an accident
because God has you.
You're his.
You may feel like a foreigner around here,
but you're not a foreigner to God,
the living God who rules over this world.
He says,
You're secure.
And as a bride is set apart for her husband
to please him,
even if everyone else looks down
and laughs at her,
if she sees the delight of her husband,
then everything's okay.
That's what Peter's saying to the church here.
If you know you're set apart for God
and his delight,
you are his treasure,
you're for his eyes only,
then even though you may feel like you're foreigners,
you're secure and you're held by him.
That's the kind of people,
a different kind of people that we are.
So we're not just a different people.
We also have a different hope.
Verse 3,
he says,
He has caused you,
according to his great mercy,
he has caused you
to be born again
to a living hope.
You know when you were born,
you became alive in a physical world,
right?
When you are born again,
you become alive in a spiritual world,
in a relationship with a living God
through trusting in Jesus' death
and resurrection.
And he says,
Salvation,
it's not just about
what happened to you in the past,
it's also about
where God's taking you in the future.
And he says,
you have a living hope.
And that could mean a couple of things.
It could mean either
it's not a dead hope.
You know,
if England are playing football
and you have hope for them,
that is a dead hope.
But this is a living hope,
a hope which doesn't disappoint you.
I know that too well.
But it's a hope
that doesn't disappoint you.
Your future is not uncertain
if you trust in Christ.
Did you know that?
Your future,
you may feel it's uncertain,
but scripture says
it is not uncertain.
It is 100% guaranteed.
Because Jesus rose from the dead
and you will rise with him
if you have trusted in him.
It's a living hope.
But it's not just a living hope.
It also can be translated
a hope of life.
Because
through the resurrection of Jesus,
where he overcame death
and sin
and sickness
and pain,
all the things which haunt us
in this world,
the things which they shared
on the video,
which we don't like,
which we feel are wrong
in the world.
Well, he says
there's going to be
a new creation
with a new body
and a new earth
that God will recreate,
which will be teeming with life.
That's the hope
that he's called us to.
But he's spelled it out.
He says
it's a living hope
and to an inheritance,
okay,
an inheritance
that is imperishable.
It can't perish
like to your family
and my loved ones can.
It is undefiled.
That means it can't spoil
like chocolate cake
can spoil.
And it can't fade
like my iPhone battery
fades.
You know,
in our world,
they say,
scientists say
there's something called entropy,
which basically means
the world
tends towards chaos
and decay
and disorder.
And the way
this current world is,
it's a bit like
when I used to,
when I was young,
we went on holiday,
we used to go to the beach
and I would build sandcastles
and I'd make amazing sandcastles.
Sandcastles,
you could put balls in
and run around.
It was incredible.
And I'd make sure
that they were secure
from the tide coming in.
I'd build a moat around them
and things like that.
But then,
if you stayed for a few hours,
do you know what you'd see?
The tide would start coming in
and would very slowly
just start to wash away
the beautiful creation
that I had built
until eventually
there was nothing left.
You see,
that's something
that's perishable,
can spoil,
and can fade.
And our culture
tells us
that through adverts,
through all kinds
of different things,
that we are to place
our hope
in sandcastles.
They mentioned a couple
on the video,
planning.
I'd never thought of planning
as being a hope,
but anyway.
Great food,
a holiday,
a new wardrobe,
friends,
good grades,
job opportunities,
health,
a listening husband,
whatever it is
that you put your hope in
and you desire
because you think
it's going to make you happy
right now.
Peter would say,
that's like a sandcastle
that's perishable.
Because just think
about a vacation,
you know,
some of you come back
from vacations
and you spent a long time
planning your vacation
with hope that it was going
to be an amazing time
and maybe it was an amazing time
but you come back
and then suddenly
what do you want to do?
You want to go on
another vacation again.
Right?
Because does that hope last?
Does it fully satisfy?
C.S. Lewis once said this,
he said,
there have been times
when I think
we do not desire heaven,
a living hope,
but more often
I find myself wondering
whether in our heart of hearts
we have ever desired
anything else.
You see,
our greatest desires
are sandcastles
which are a fading glimpse
of a world
that is unfading,
of an imperishable inheritance
that God has for you.
Now,
sandcastles are great.
You know,
if you could take your kids
to the beach,
don't tell them,
don't build a sandcastle
because it's going to get
washed away in a few hours.
You don't do that.
You enjoy it in the moment
but you don't put your hope
in any of these things
which are sandcastles
because Peter says
you are made
for a living hope,
one that will not fade,
one that will not get washed away.
He says for a salvation
that will be revealed
in the last time
and he says
that salvation
will be at the revelation,
the revealing of Jesus
when he comes back again.
Do you know,
I've just been thinking about this,
even this week,
the whole of the New Testament,
almost every book
shouts for us
to live in the light
of Jesus' return.
You know,
in Acts it says
when Jesus is taken up
and he says
the angels come
to the disciples
and says
he's going to come back
in the same way
that he left.
And then you see
in Corinthians it says
listen,
I'm giving you
every spiritual gift now
while you wait
for the revealing of Jesus.
Paul also prays,
he says,
Maranatha,
Lord come back.
You know the Lord's prayer,
part of it says
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
That is ultimately
a prayer for God
to come back
and restore
and renew everything.
And so as I've been
thinking about it,
the question that's come to me
is
when did I last
pray for Jesus to return?
When did you last
pray for Jesus to return?
When did we actually
last think about
the fact
that there is
something more
than the little hopes
that I live my life for?
Do we spend our time
thinking more
about a living hope
or more
about a fading hope
in our lives?
Because the rest
of our culture
tells us
to chase after
fading sandcastles.
and I've just thought
why is it
that there is this gap
in my life
and this gap
which I think
in many of our lives
between what
first century
biblical Christianity is
and the way
that we live right now
in terms of
what we're hoping in?
And I,
there's many reasons
but I thought of
a couple of reasons.
One reason
is I think
we swim
in a culture
that promotes
comfort to us.
Do you know
like
150 years ago
every single one
of us
would probably
have had
half of our
family members die.
You know
a quarter of the women
would have died
in childbirth.
There was no air con
not much medication
there were no iPhones
and food
was your dream.
Just getting enough food
man
that was all
you lived for.
Life was tough
and in many places
in the world
it still is tough
right?
You see that on the news.
But now we have
this incredible technology
which has changed
our experience
of the world.
It's amazing.
Our greatest problems
are no longer
where do I get my food from
but which restaurant
shall I choose today?
We have air con
life expectancy
is longer
and it's amazing
but it deludes us
into feeling
like we can have
heaven on earth
right now.
You know
and this feeling
infects even the church.
If you go to
Elin bookstore
or one of the bookstores
you just see
how many books
there are telling you
that you can have
your best life now.
Just God wants you
to have all
full prosperity now.
He wants you
to have heaven now.
You know
yesterday lunchtime
I was cooking lunch
I was trying to put
washing in the washer
a lot of things on
and then the washing machine
died.
And do you know
what my first thought was?
I can't believe
this is happening
to me right now.
There are so many
other things I've got on.
Why me?
Why right now?
Because
I feel entitled
for life
to work out
my way
right now.
I think
that I'm so used
to comfort
that any discomfort
that interrupts
the way I think
washing should be
I just think
it's somehow
out of order.
But Pluto
is telling us
that actually
maybe I'm more
like a spoiled child
who hasn't realized
that my hope
is not in a heavenly
kingdom now.
It's in a living hope
that when Jesus returns
he will bring back.
We live in a culture
of comfort.
I want to give
one more reason
why we don't often feel
we fix our eyes
on Jesus' return.
Because sometimes
it just feels
a little bit distant
and a little bit intangible.
Does anyone feel like that?
You know in verse 8
even Peter admits
he says
you don't see him now.
And you know
I know Jesus
is coming back
in my head
but it doesn't feel
quite so real.
It's been a couple
of thousand years
since he came last time.
And you know
the sand castles
that I live for
the hopes that I live for
seem so much more immediate.
The urgent overtakes
the important.
Right?
But even in the first century
people were thinking
the same.
You know
the next book
to Peter
people are saying
yeah where's Jesus
come up?
And Peter says to them
listen
God's not slow
as you think
he is slow
in coming
but he's patient
with you.
He's not wanting
anyone to perish
but all to come
to repentance.
In other words
he's saying
now is a season
where the gospel
is to go out
into people's lives.
And he will go out
until he returns
and all the people
have come in
that he wants
to come in.
But you know what?
We chase after
our illusions
like financial security
which no matter
how much money
you have
you never have enough.
If you're young
you believe
you're invincible.
If you're getting older
you put on
anti-wrinkle cream
so you don't see
that the tide of death
is washing away.
Right?
Culture tells us
these are real
but the reality is
death and decay
will come to
every single one
of us in this room.
You know
you go into
the doctor's office
and they say
it's cancer.
And you know
the people I meet
so often
who've lived
so long
with no regard
for God
and then they're
facing the death
of a loved one
and they say to me
oh God will let them
into heaven
won't he?
Because right at that
moment it's not
intangible
it's not distant
it's very real.
But if your hope
is only in a sandcastle
man
when you're facing death
everything gets
washed away
and all you're
left with
is an empty beach
but if Christ
is the hope
of your heart
everything
every little comfort
that God gives you
every blessing
you get right now
is just a glimpse
of that heavenly host
that heavenly home
that he'll give you
that imperishable castle
because there's one thing
that death
cannot take away
from you.
One thing
that lasts
and that's a resurrected
savior
who has defeated death
he has risen again
and he's the guarantee
if we turn
and repent
and place our hopes
not in his little things
of our lives
that we're trying
to chase after
the holidays
the work
the opportunities
but if we trust
and hope in him
we will experience
that living hope.
that's why we pray
Maranatha
Lord come back
we want you
because we want you
to restore things.
We're a different
kind of people
we have a different
kind of hope
from the society
around us.
Third thing
we have a different
view of trials
and suffering.
You see
between the time
when we have been
born again
to this new life
and we see
that final day
when Jesus
comes back
and restores
everything
there's this kind
of in between period
the now
and not yet
where we have
the blessings
of life
and yet we're
waiting for God
to change
and bring everything
new into our lives
and he says
in Peter
he says this
in this you rejoice
though now
for a little while
he calls this time
a little while
if necessary
you have been
grieved
by various trials
he says
a little while
for now
for a little while
you have trials
and you know
if some of you
are going through trials
does it feel like
a little while
oh they sometimes
feel like it's
such a long time
that you go
through trials
Paul calls them
light and momentary
and we don't feel that
but actually
in the light of eternity
they are
just minuscule
compared to
forever
that is coming
and he says
if necessary
so that means
it's not all the time
that there are trials
there are periods
where we enjoy blessing
but he says
you've been grieved
you know
he says
there is a reality
of the pain
some of you
right now
are experiencing
the grief
in your families
the grief
in your
in just the circumstances
of life
you know
that pain
and he says
there are various trials
and you know
various
the word can be translated
multi-colored trials
there's not just one kind of trial
you know
it's like
amber rain
to black rain
you know
T1 to T10
okay
there's a whole spectrum
of trials
and what is a trial
in Peter's mind
he's thinking of the persecution
that comes upon Christians
living in a pagan world
the challenges
of holding firm
to Christ
but
he also knows
that as God's
different people
anything
which
which we have
which tests
our faith
in Christ
because he calls
that we are set apart
for obedience
to Jesus
anything that tests
your faith
and your trust
in Jesus
is a trial
are you struggling
with health
right now
that's a trial
are you wrestling
with your kids
that's a trial
are you just
so frustrated
out of your mind
because Expedia
have failed to set
to a refund matter
which has been going on
for over four months
like me
that's a trial
are you staying single
and struggling
that's a trial
are you trying to find
your identity
in Jesus
but all around you
everyone's just
performance oriented
and you're trying
to hold on to him
that's a trial
why does God
give us trials
sometimes we think
it's God's punishing
us
but our culture
tells us
well if God
really loves us
he'd fix everything
right now
when God has said
right now
is not where
I'm fixing everything
your exiles
your foreigners
I will return
and I'll fix things
but he says
why do I give it
to you so that
the tested
genuineness
of your faith
more precious
than gold
that perishes
though it is
tested by fire
may be found
to result
in praise
glory
and honor
at the revelation
of Jesus
what he's saying
is whatever trial
you're going through
right in your life
right now
one reason God's
bringing it
is so that you
will long
for Jesus
to return
is so that you'll
realize that now
is not
that new creation
salvation
because he wants
to show you
that trials
are God's gift
to you
to wake you up
from chasing
after sandcastles
which are going
to just fade away
so that you'll see
that your hope
is not placed
in just the praise
and the glory
and honor of people
right now
but you long
for that time
when he will be
honored
and he will be
glorified
and he will be
praised
and you will
bask in the light
of that
because you will
hear Jesus
say to you
well done
good and faithful
servant
his praise
will be to you
before all
of the angels
C.S. Lewis
said
pain
insists upon
being attended to
God whispers
to us
in our pleasures
speaks in our
conscience
but shouts
in our pain
it is his megaphone
to rouse
a deaf
world
have you ever
thought about
your trials
like that
that God
may be trying
to wake you
up to long
for him
and it's not
just he's
longing
bringing to
long for him
he's also
trials
are like
fire
to strengthen
your faith
and to burn
the impurities
of our lives
away
he's trying
to strip
away
the sand
castles
in your life
so that you
see that the
only thing
that is really
precious
and lasting
is Christ
because you
know even a
gold sand
castle
will get
washed
away
but your
faith
looking to
your savior
to be your
holy hope
he will stand
because he
rules over
everything
do you know
if you want
to increase
your muscles
do you
increase
them
by sitting
on the
sofa
what do
you need
weights
every
Wednesday
morning
at 7am
I joined
30 to
60 people
who put
their body
through
suffering
of a
HIIT
workout
for the
prize
of fit
healthy
bodies
that's
their
sand
castle
and they're
willing
to suffer
for it
but you
see if
Jesus
is our
prize
and wanting
him more
than anything
else
then the
trials of
life are
an opportunity
for us to be
strengthened in
our faith
so that we
see him
and are
refined by
him so that
he becomes
more precious
than all the
other things
because everything
else can be
fading
but Jesus
will never
fade
and what
that doesn't
mean is
that if
anyone's
going through
suffering
we just
go to
them
hey
trials are
good
suck it
up
that's
not what
he's saying
it's not
the trial
in itself
but it's
what God
is doing
through the
trial
that is
the beautiful
thing
you know
Jesus
wants
for us
to see
that there
is nothing
more precious
than himself
so many
other things
blind us
to that
and what
we need
to see
is that
the real
deal
is coming
but today
we only
get a glimpse
in the
blessings
we see
of what
he's calling
us to
you know
if you're
sick
today
let me
just kind
of apply
this into
sickness
if you're
sick
today
I believe
God wants
to bring
healing
into your
life
we want
to pray
for healing
for you
you know
I heard
just last
week
one of the
congregation
was telling
me
last year
someone
they'd been
struggling
for gout
for a long
time
and then
someone
just prayed
for them
and it
just
disappeared
went
gone
it's never
come back
in the last
year
God has
the power
to give
you a glimpse
of the new
creation
that he's
bringing in
right now
right today
in healing
and so
we want
to pray
for you
today
that God
would do
that in
your life
but
if God
heals you
today
you're still
going to
die
I'm sorry
that's the
truth
right
you're still
going to
die
and so
your healing
now is a
secondary hope
it's not an
ultimate hope
so you
hold your
healing
with open
hands
saying
God
I just
trust
you
and you
see
if he
doesn't
heal
you
today
then his
guarantee
is he
will
heal you
maybe
tomorrow
or maybe
when he
returns
but until
then
we wait
longing
for him
more
than even
I want
my healing
because what
he's trying
to do
is he's
trying to
change us
to be a
different kind
of people
who have a
different kind
of hope
who see
that through
the trials
God is
refining
and changing
us
last thing
to give us
a different
joy
he says
though you
have not
seen him
you love
him
though you
do not
see him
now
you believe
in him
and rejoice
with joy
that is
inexpressible
and filled
with glory
obtaining
the outcome
of your
faith
the salvation
of your
souls
our culture
tells us
do what
makes you
happy
chase after
it
in whatever
number of
ways you
can
in relationships
in sex
in so many
ways
and then you
look at all
the number
of depressing
songs we
have about
relationship
breakup
and you
just wonder
is that
where joy
is found
but if you
want to be
truly joyful
you've got to
look to
something
or someone
outside of
this
perishable
world
for true
joy
that no
matter what
you're going
through
nothing can
take away
Peter says
gospel hope
changes today
because in the
midst of your
trials
it can bring
you a deep
love and joy
in Jesus
and many of us
if you've been
through trials
you know
it has brought
you so much
closer to Jesus
and by joy
he doesn't mean
just feeling
happy because
that kind of
comes and
goes
because some
of you
know the
real sense
of grief
there is
but he
means a
deep
seated
confident
peace
regardless
of what
turmoil
or blessings
you're going
through right
now
do you
have that
do you
have that
confidence
right now
in him
because that
joy comes
from tasting
the goodness
and mercy
of Jesus
verse 3
to 12
says
in fact
verse 3
to 12
are all
one sentence
about hope
and suffering
but they're a
song of praise
because he says
blessed be the
God
of father
of our
Lord Jesus
Christ
according to
his mercy
he has caused
you if you're
a believer
to be born
again
and you know
Peter
knows all
about this
mercy
of God
because you
know
he was
grieved
by his
own sin
his trial
before
before the
girl
and when he
denies Jesus
he failed
the trial
God gave him
where his
faith was
tested
and in
bitterness
he repents
before
he repents
of what
he's done
and when
Jesus rose
again
and they
were having
and Jesus
appears to
them by
the lake
do you
know what
do you
know who
the first
person who
wants to
run and
meet you
Jesus
is
it's
Peter
because
Peter
knows
the
forgiveness
and mercy
of Jesus
if you
know
and let
me just
just want
to close
with this
I used
to have
a really
sweet tooth
after being
in Hong
Kong
I stopped
eating
sweet things
so much
and my
taste buds
have changed
if I
eat sweet
things
I no
longer
they're
too sweet
for me
when I
heard
John Piper
talking about
the return
of Jesus
and he
once said
sinlessness
I can
almost
taste it
and I
went
wow
that's a
man
who's had
a diet
so filled
of the
gospel of
Jesus
that his
taste buds
have been
changed to be
like him
to want and
desire him
and to want to
live fully honoring
to him in his
life
and my taste buds
are filled with
that holiday
I can
almost
taste it
financial
security
I can
almost
taste it
comfortable
life
I can
almost
taste it
because the
diet of our
thoughts are so
focused on
me and on
getting comfort
on getting just
the things that I
want
anyone like me
I think as a
church
Peter is calling
us
he wants us
to get a
taste
of Jesus
and how
precious he
is and even
if you're going
through the
trials
he wants you
to see that
tasting Jesus
is better than
anything else
you want to
taste
that's why we
read scripture
that's why we
sing
that's why we
repent
that's why we
have CGs
to encourage
each other
because it's
all for our
joy right
now
have you ever
thought that the
trials God may
be bringing to
you right now
are God's
mercy to you
to show you
that he is
more precious
than anything
else that may
be fading
anything else
that you may
be chasing
after right
now
let's pray
I want you
just to stop
and think
about
what is it
in your life
right now
that you
you're actually
putting your
hope in
what are your
taste buds
filled with
what are your
thought life
filled with
what are your
plans filled
with
how much
you filled
with the
beauty of a
savior
who even
though we
live in a
broken world
where we
chase after
our own
comforts
and the
things of
this life
and we
neglect so
many other
people and
so many
other things
and yet God
comes to us
and says
I want to
bring you
my mercy
I want to
bring you
my forgiveness
I want to
show you
mercy right
now
that it's
mercy that
you have a
hope
that at the
end of your
life you will
have something
worth living
for if you
trust in
Jesus
that there will
be something
that lasts
if you trust
in Jesus
and it's only
the mercy of
God that
brings it
Father we
just pray
that as a
church you'd
help us not
to make here
our home
let us enjoy
the good things
you give us
but only as a
glimpse
that when our
washing machines
break
when we face
sickness and
trials
when we
struggle
that you are
giving us
mercy to want
us to fix
our eyes on
you and to
place our
hope in you
strengthen our
faith
open our eyes
to see how
beautiful you
are
in Jesus
name
Amen
Jesus
and
can
earn
who
can
help
her
Christ
Lord
look at
some
feet
in the
Defense
of the
atable
how
life
do
Gina
behold
can
hug
what
afternoon