Well, if you would, please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to the book of 1 Peter.
And this is a little bit out of the ordinary for what we normally do.
Typically, we preach straight through books of the Bible.
But leading up to the evening of January 29th, when we will covenant together as a church,
and then February 5th, when we'll have our first public service together as Seaweed Bay Baptist Church,
we are walking through our mission and vision together.
As a church.
So last week, if you were here, you heard our mission statement is to magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That's the mission of your life, the purpose of your life.
That's the purpose of the church, not just this church, but the church.
That's God's mission in the gospel is to magnify the glory of his name.
And so now, for the next three weeks, Lord willing, we're going to talk about each part of the how, of how we go about that mission.
How do we magnify the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ?
And the first way how, that we'll see this morning from 1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 9,
is that we magnify the glory of God when we enjoy him.
We magnify him by enjoying him.
And we asked last week, what is the chief end of man?
It's to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
You may be familiar with John Piper's popular twist on that answer.
He says it's to glorify God by enjoying him forever.
So if you would, Bible's open.
Follow along with me as I read.
We're going to be in 1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 9.
And what we'll see is that we have so much to rejoice in as believers in Christ.
Amen?
So follow with me, 1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 9.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you,
who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice,
though now for a little while, if necessary,
you have been grieved by various trials,
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 and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though you have not seen him, you love him.
Though you do not now see him,
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.
This is the word of God.
Would you please bow and pray with me?
Lord,
truly we have much to rejoice in.
And we thank you for the good news of the gospel.
We thank you for your work in Christ.
And we pray, I pray now,
that you would speak powerfully
through the preaching of your word,
for the joy of your people,
and the glory of your name.
We pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
Well, I try as hard as I can
to keep it from happening,
but from time to time,
every now and then,
a Hallmark movie will appear
on my television screen.
It tends to happen more during the Christmas season,
and if you're familiar with these films,
each one of them tends to follow
one of no more than three rotating plot lines.
One of the most popular variations
includes introducing us to a woman
who is engaged to be married.
She's busy planning the wedding,
thinking through the details,
going through the processes,
but as you watch her go through this,
you can tell something is just clearly off.
Everyone around her,
her mom,
and usually a quirky best friend,
can tell that despite what she says,
she does not truly,
truly, really love the man
that she is getting ready to marry.
She's committed to him.
She made a commitment a long time ago,
but it's clear she does not really,
truly enjoy him.
But in her mind,
she's made a commitment.
She's gotten this far down the road.
Now she's just going to grit her teeth
and bear it and go through with it
until an unexpected better option
happens to show up.
And although she is reluctant at first,
spoiler alert,
she winds up getting together with him
in the end.
And although I'm sure that this is,
can you hear me now?
Although I'm sure that this is not
what Hallmark had in mind,
sadly,
this resembles how many self-professing Christians
go about their relationship with Christ.
They have made some sort of verbal commitment years ago
and they know in their minds at least
that following Christ,
being with him is a good option,
at least better than what they know of the alternative.
And so they simply go through the motions.
They practice the routines.
They walk through the practices.
They come to church.
They say their prayers.
But if you take a closer look,
something is clearly off.
They do not truly love the man,
Jesus Christ.
They draw near with their mouth
and honor him with their lips,
but their hearts are far from him.
They do not truly delight in the glory of God
in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And the reason I share this
is because as we move together
towards covenanting
in this new chapter of this church family,
I want to make sure
that this is not true of us.
We don't want to be a group of people
who simply claim Christ,
come here, do church,
walk through the routines,
practice the habits,
and don't truly enjoy the Lord.
Amen?
We want to be a people
who truly from the bottom of our heart
love and enjoy the glory of God.
Don't you want that?
Our relationship with Christ,
as we'll see here in 1 Peter,
is not meant to be a joyless marriage.
Far from it.
And we of all people
have reason to rejoice.
And so this morning,
as we see in 1 Peter chapter 1,
we're going to see
four reasons to rejoice this morning.
Four reasons to rejoice.
And this will be our outline this morning
from 1 Peter chapter 1.
If you're taking notes,
this will help you to follow along.
Four reasons to rejoice.
And as we rejoice in Him,
church, we magnify His glory.
We make much of Him.
First reason.
Reason number one
is we are to rejoice
in our new life in Christ.
Rejoice in your new life in Christ.
Peter here in the book of 1 Peter,
he's addressing those who,
by the grace of God,
are united to Christ by faith.
He's addressing Christians.
And so he calls them,
in verse 1,
elect exiles.
Meaning they are those
who no longer belong
to this present world.
They no longer belong
to this present passing world.
In this present evil age,
they've been plucked out.
And they now belong to God.
And so their identity
is not here in this present world.
Their hope is not here
in this present world.
And their joy is not rooted
here in this present world.
They are, as he says in verse 13,
they are to set their hope fully
on the grace that will be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
It's future-oriented joy.
But even so,
our lives here and now
in this present age
as exiles
are meant to be marked
by rejoicing,
marked by delighting
and enjoying the glory
of God.
So here in verse 3,
Peter gives us the first reason why.
Look there to verse 3 with me.
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's this worship,
this magnification
of the glory of God.
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because we have been given
new life in Christ.
He says,
according to his great mercy,
he, God,
he has caused us
to be born again
to a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
from the dead.
That is reason to rejoice
if you have it.
This new spiritual life
is the basis,
this is the root
of Christian joy.
To know true and lasting joy,
you must be born again.
You know,
that's not just a Baptist term.
I know it's been popularized
over the past several decades,
but this is a thoroughly
biblical requirement
for true and lasting joy
is that you be born again.
I'm sure that you've heard me say before
that born again Christian
is a redundancy.
There is no other type of Christian
but a born again Christian.
It's redundant.
There's no other type.
It's like when we say
pin number, right?
Personal identification,
number, number.
Or the Los Angeles angels.
If you know Spanish,
you know that means literally
the, the, angels, angels.
Right?
Well, it's the same
with born again Christian.
Every genuine Christian
has truly been born again.
And there are plenty of individuals
who call themselves Christian,
who attend church,
who read their Bibles,
who say their prayers,
who go through the routines
and the rituals
and the habits,
but have never actually experienced
being born again.
But to truly be a Christian
and to know the joy
that Peter is talking about here,
it requires,
it means that you have,
by the mercy of God,
been genuinely born again.
You have been regenerated.
This is beyond our natural capacity
to understand, isn't it?
You might remember
when Nicodemus came to Jesus
in John chapter 3.
He came in the middle of the night
to speak with Jesus.
And Jesus said to him,
truly, truly,
I say to you,
unless one is,
what?
What did he say?
Unless one is born again,
he cannot see
the kingdom of God.
And Nicodemus,
like us,
he thought naturally.
His mind immediately
went to the physical
and the natural,
and so he answered
with natural thinking.
And he said,
well, how can a man
be born again
when he's old?
Can he enter a second time
into his mother's womb
and be born?
And you can almost see
the wheels turning,
and I don't know
how Jesus kept a straight face,
but he did,
and responded and said,
no,
that which is born of flesh
is flesh,
and that which is born of spirit
is spirit.
The first birth
is into sin.
It's into flesh.
The second birth
is entirely of a different kind.
It's spiritual.
See,
our first birth,
we inherited sin.
We entered physically
into this physical,
sinful world.
We're born as enemies
of God,
born as rebels
of God,
born as His enemies.
But the second birth,
the second birth
makes us a new creation.
And with that new life
comes new capacities,
and that heart of stone
is turned into a heart
of flesh.
What was dead to sin,
excuse me,
what was dead to God
and alive to sin
is now dead to sin
and alive to God.
And so when you're born again,
all of a sudden,
you have these new desires
to live a life
that's pleasing to God.
Where did that come from?
You desire new capacity,
new desire to say no to sin,
to run from sin,
to turn from sin,
and to pursue righteousness.
New capacities to see
and to be aware
that all of your life
is a gift from God.
It's meant to be
directed towards Him
and praise for His glory.
You have new capacities
to trust Him
and to thank Him
and to love Him
and to enjoy Him.
See, the Christian life,
which begins at the new birth,
is one of constant growth
and progression
and praising
and enjoying
the glory of God.
So how do we do this?
Well, Peter tells us,
you don't.
It's a work of God.
Peter says,
it is by His mercy,
of His doing,
for our good
and for our joy,
and ultimately
for His glory.
But He does give us
another piece
of crucial information here,
which is that
it is only through
the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
from the dead.
If we are to be born again,
it is only possible
through the good news
of the gospel,
through the resurrection
of Christ.
The Bible teaches us
that Jesus,
the eternal Son of God,
became man.
The eternal Son of God
was born according
to the flesh,
yet without sin.
So He could live
in our place,
He could die
in our place,
and then He could get up
from the grave
and rise up
from the grave
in our place.
So He purchases
new spiritual life
for His people,
for sinners,
through His life,
death,
and resurrection.
So now in Him,
through His resurrection
from the dead,
sinners like me
and like you
who were once dead
in our trespasses
and sins
can be forgiven
of our sins,
can be given
new spiritual life.
that is reason
to rejoice
this morning
if you have it.
Have you been born again?
Is your life marked
by bitterness
or anger
or constant complaining
and negativity
and just joylessness?
Or does your heart
genuinely rejoice
in the glory of God?
Is your life marked
by delight
in Him
and His glory?
See, we need to
constantly remember
this gift
that we've been given
in the new birth
and rejoice first
in our new life
in Christ.
But not only that,
second,
Peter says
we rejoice
in our future hope
in Christ.
We rejoice
in our future hope
in Christ.
This is the substance
of our joy.
Something that I think
we need to be reminded of
is not only
what we're saved from
but also
what we're saved to.
Okay?
We need to remember
for the sake of our joy
not only what we're saved from
but also
especially
what we are saved to.
If we are
in Christ
we are saved
from
the wrath of God
against our sin.
And we said
in our first birth
we're born
as sinners.
We're natural born sinners.
And there are two options
and only two options
for sinners like us.
Either God's wrath
is poured out
against us
in our sin
and we bear
the judgment
that we deserve
and we bear
the wrath of God
against our sin.
We bear it
in eternity
in hell.
Or,
option number two,
a substitute
bears the wrath
of God
in our place.
A substitute
provided by God
himself,
Jesus Christ,
who bore the wrath
of God
on the cross
for every
single one
of his people.
See,
we need to remember
and rejoice
in what we've been saved
from.
That's reason to rejoice
but even more so,
even more so,
I would argue.
We need to rejoice
in what we've been saved to.
Our future hope
is this inexhaustible
fountain
of everlasting joy
for the Christian
that we draw from
and drink from
and rejoice in
now in the present
and into eternity
for the rest of eternity
in the presence of God.
You might imagine,
just to illustrate this,
a poor child
who was born
into an orphanage.
It's understaffed,
it's underfunded,
it's overwhelmed,
it's overlooked,
it's broken down.
He was born into it
so he doesn't really know
anything different.
He has no idea
what life would be like
in a family.
He gets a call
up to the office
and is told
to gather up his things
because he has been
adopted.
He knows what that word
means,
but he can't even
wrap his mind
around all that
that entails.
He knows what he's
being taken out of,
what he's being taken
from,
but his understanding
of what he's going to
is partial
at best,
limited
at best.
The words to describe it
are insufficient
at best,
but this child,
he's not just being adopted,
he's being adopted
by the king.
He's not just being brought
out of the orphanage,
he's being brought
into a castle,
and not just as an outsider,
but as a son.
Not just as a visitor,
but as one who will
one day inherit
the entire kingdom.
How could he possibly
begin to imagine
what that would be like?
You know,
sometimes that's how
it might be with us.
We know what we've
been taken out of,
we know our sin,
we know the judgment
that is deserved
for our sin,
we know we're taken out
of something terrible
and brought into
something unspeakably marvelous,
but it's so far beyond
our capacity
to understand
and describe
that words
are just insufficient.
There's no language
to help us understand
our hope,
and even what we know
to be true
sometimes just seems
too good
to be true.
Peter here,
in this chapter,
he tries as hard
as he can
to put into words
the glory
of what we have
to look forward to
in Christ.
He says there
in verse 3,
look there again,
he says,
we are born
to
a living
hope.
Because Christ,
Jesus,
is alive,
our hope
is alive.
Verse 4,
he says,
we are born
again
to
an inheritance.
As sons
and daughters
of the king
of all the universe,
as sons
and daughters
of God himself,
we now have
the hope,
the certain hope
of a future
inheritance.
And unlike
every treasure
in this present age,
this inheritance,
he says,
is imperishable,
undefiled,
and unfading.
What can you
describe
in this world
with those three words?
What treasure
can you imagine
that exists
here and now
that you've enjoyed,
that you hope
to enjoy one day
in your life,
that you can describe
with these three words?
Imperishable,
undefiled,
and unfading.
You can't do it.
If you won
the lottery tomorrow,
$300 billion
dropped in your
bank account,
guess what?
At some point,
either the money
would run out,
the money would perish,
or at some point,
guess what?
You'll perish,
and you won't be able
to spend it.
It'll be gone.
Its worth will be lost.
If someone far off
in your family
were to write you
into their will,
and you inherited
acres upon acres
upon acres
of land,
guess what?
It would grow weeds,
thorns,
and thistles.
It would be
an incredible blessing,
but imperfect.
It would be defiled
by sin.
If you were able
to purchase
whatever earthly treasure
you could set
your mind on,
that new vehicle,
that truck,
that boat,
that house,
whatever it might be,
your joy in it
would fade eventually,
wouldn't it?
And that item,
whatever it is,
would decay.
It would lose
its luster.
If you place
your pride
and your joy
in your own
physical beauty
or in the strength
of your physical body,
guess what?
One day,
it will fade.
Your body will break down
and your strength
will grow weak.
It will degenerate.
Every earthly treasure
is perishable.
It is defiled
and it fades.
And if our joy
is rooted here
in the present,
in these things
of this present age,
then our joy
will likewise perish.
Our joy
will fade.
Our joy
will be defiled.
We have a diminishing
rate of return
on the investment
of our joy
in things
of this present age.
But for the Christian,
for the Christian,
Peter says,
we rejoice
because our future
inheritance
is perfect.
It's perfect.
It cannot perish.
It cannot be defiled.
It cannot fade.
And so,
if our joy
is rooted there,
then our joy,
likewise,
cannot perish.
Cannot be defiled.
Cannot fade.
Fade.
All we have
to look forward
to is ever-increasing joy
every moment
of the rest
of eternity
if we are
in Christ.
I wonder how often
you meditate
on the glory
of your future hope.
How often
do you
let your future
hope in Christ
shape your daily
decisions
here and now?
How often
do you
let it
shape your thoughts
and shape
your emotions?
You know,
the constant refrain
of the New Testament
for believers
is over and over
and over again,
set your hope
there.
Set your joy
there.
Set your eyes
there.
Long for that
future inheritance.
We are waiting
for our future
hope to be
realized.
Christ.
Well,
you might ask,
what is our
future inheritance?
I don't think
it helps anybody
to speak of it
in general terms.
And again,
it's beyond our
mind's capacity
to fully grasp,
but we are given
some information
here on what
we're waiting for.
That's a big question,
but in short,
we are waiting
for God
to fulfill
all of His promises
to His people
in Christ.
What are we waiting
for?
We are waiting
for the fulfillment
of the promises
of God
towards us
in Christ.
So,
we are waiting
to inherit
the promised land.
We are waiting
to inherit
the promised land.
Not a patch of dirt
on the earth,
but the new heavens
and the new earth.
As Peter says
in 2 Peter 3,
according to His promises,
we are waiting
for a new heaven
and a new earth
where righteousness
dwells.
Imperishable,
undefiled,
unfading,
a land without
thorns and thistles,
a land without
the presence of death,
a land without
the curse of sin.
To enjoy
this perfect paradise,
however,
we need
to inherit
resurrected bodies.
We are waiting
for our future
glorified bodies.
This is another part
of our hope.
Bodies that are fit
for eternity
with God.
So,
we believe that
at the return
of Christ,
the bodies
of believers
will be remade
and glorified
and made fit
for eternity
in the presence
of God.
God.
As 1 Corinthians 15
tells us,
what is sown
is perishable,
what is raised
is imperishable.
It is sown
in dishonor,
it is raised
in glory,
it is sown
in weakness,
it is raised
in power,
it is sown
a natural body,
it is raised
a spiritual
body.
These bodies
that we have
here and now
are marked
by sin
and death
and decay.
They break
down,
amen?
Amen?
But when Christ
returns,
we will be more
alive than we
have ever been.
John says
in 1 John
chapter 3,
he says,
we are God's
children now
and what we
will be
has not yet
appeared,
but we know
that when
he appears
we shall be
like him
because we
will see him
as he is.
Another
part of our
hope,
we are waiting
to inherit
final salvation.
This is what
Peter says
in verse 5,
the salvation
that is ready
to be revealed
in the last
time.
Final salvation
from the presence
and the power
of sin.
Final deliverance,
final salvation
from every enemy.
Final salvation
from the worries
and the stress
of this life
and the final
realization
of our salvation
in Christ.
He will wipe
away every tear
from their eyes.
death shall
be no more.
Neither shall
there be mourning
nor crying
nor pain
anymore for the
former things
have passed
away.
Our final
salvation
is realized.
But church,
as wonderful,
as glorious,
as all of
these things
are,
they are
absolutely
worthless
apart from
the greatest
treasure
of our
inheritance,
which is God
himself.
God himself
is the hope
of every
Christian's heart
to be
fully
restored,
to right
relationship
with God
our
Father,
to be
welcomed
in to the
kingdom
as his
beloved
son,
his
beloved
daughter,
to be
welcomed in
to enjoy
the glory
of his
presence
for the
rest of
eternity,
to be shown
the immeasurable
riches of his
grace and
kindness toward
us in Christ
Jesus,
to spend
eternity
day after
day,
plunging the
depths of
the wonders
of the
glory of
God,
marveling in
his presence.
That's the
hope of the
Christian.
Everything else
is just icing
on the cake.
That is the
hope that fuels
present joy.
As he says
in verse 8,
though you
have not
seen him,
you love him,
though you do
not now see
him,
you believe in
him and
rejoice,
with joy
that is
inexpressible
and filled
with glory.
Do you
love him
like this?
Do you
genuinely
know that
inexpressible
rejoicing
in your soul
at the thought
of the presence
of the glory
of God?
Peter reminds
us of this
future hope
because he
knows that
future hope
breeds present
joy.
But that
rejoicing
requires
something of
us,
doesn't it?
Present joy
requires
persevering
faith.
This is the
third and
final reason
to rejoice
this morning.
Third,
rejoice in
the gift
of faith
in Christ.
Ephesians 2.8
tells us
by grace
you are
saved
through
faith
and this
is not
your own
doing,
it is a
gift of
God.
You know,
this is what
the unbelieving
world finds
so hard to
understand
about us.
They just
can't wrap
their minds
around how
could we
possibly
have and
believe in
this unseen
future hope
with so much
confidence that
we're willing
to stake
our lives
on this
hope.
How could
we possibly
believe that
someone 2,000
years ago
got up from
the dead
and because
he rose from
the dead
we have this
new life,
new inheritance,
new joy,
new purpose,
everything is
based on that
and how could
we believe
that because
he lives
he offers
forgiveness
and salvation
and reconciliation
with God
that we have
this glorious
future to look
forward to
to?
The answer
is faith
and not
the empty
objectless
faith of
the world
but the
rock solid
faith,
the gift
of faith
in the
promises
of God
fulfilled
in Jesus
Christ.
How is it
that sinners
are brought
from spiritual
death to
spiritual life
born again
from hopelessness
to a living
hope?
The answer
is this
gift of
faith
in Christ.
How is it
that millions
of individuals
throughout the
world believe
in this
unseen
invisible
hope?
The answer
is this
gift
of faith.
Faith
is as
Hebrews
tells us
it's the
assurance
of things
hoped for
and the
conviction
of things
not seen.
You see
faith is
the anchor
of our
joy.
It doesn't
let us
get swept
away by
trials
or distractions
or lesser
joys.
It anchors
us to the
source of
everlasting
joy.
Faith is
the adhesive
that sticks
us so
closely to
Christ
and all
that he
shares with
his own
that as
hard as
the devil
might try
nothing
can separate
us from
the love
of God
in Christ
Jesus
our Lord.
Faith is
the rope
that comes
down out
of heaven
to wrap
us up
as we
cling to
it tightly
and are
brought
safely home
at last.
See the
link between
future hope
and present
joy is
trust.
It is
faith in
the promises
of God.
God has
a promise
here for
you to
be believed
for your
joy.
This promise
of a glorious
future
inheritance
unseen by
the human
eye but
kept in
heaven for
you.
How can
we be
certain that
it is
actually
there?
We trust
the word
of God
by faith.
And how
can we be
certain that
a ragtag
group of
sinners like
us will
make it
there to
enjoy that
future promised
inheritance?
Maybe this
is real,
maybe that
hope is
there,
but how
can sinners
like us
possibly have
any confidence
that we
will reach
it in the
end?
Verse 5
tells us,
look there,
that you
Christian by
God's power
are being
guarded
through
faith.
when I
go somewhere
out with
my boys
and we
get ready
to walk
in the
parking lot,
nobody knows
how to
drive,
y'all know
that,
dangers are
everywhere.
And they
see some
of the dangers,
but I see
all of them,
okay?
I'm aware
of much
more than
they are,
and so I
tell them,
boys,
grab my
hand,
grab my
hand,
and they
do,
and they
exercise
trust in
me by
grabbing
my hand,
and they
hold it
willingly,
they grip
it,
their hand
grips around
mine,
but their
safety
ultimately
is not
in their
gripping
me.
Their
safety
is in
me
gripping
them.
And even
if they
were to
loosen
their grip
for a
moment,
guess what?
Mine only
gets tighter.
I hold
it firm,
even if
they yank
and try
to get
away,
my
children
make it
safely
into that
grocery
store,
I make
sure of
it,
even if
I have
to pull
them with
all my
might.
Isn't
this how
God
carries
us
through
trials,
temptations,
sufferings,
demands,
worries,
anxieties
of this
life?
He
guards
us
through
His
gift
to us
of faith
as we
exercise
trust in
Him.
He's
guarding
and
clinging
to us
through
faith.
We
believe,
but the
believing
is from
Him.
We
trust,
but the
trusting
is from
Him.
We cling
to Him,
but our
confidence
that we
will make
it to
the end
is that
by His
mercy,
He clings
to us
and will
carry us
safely
home.
Church,
this is
unshakable
power.
This is
the
stabilizing
force for
Christian
joy in
any
circumstance.
You look
here to
verse 6,
it says,
in this
hope,
you rejoice
though now
for a little
while,
if necessary,
you have
been grieved
by various
trials,
so that,
here's the
point,
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 and
glory and
honor at
the revelation
of Jesus
Christ.
Do not
listen to
anyone who
would tell
you,
if you just
have enough
faith,
nothing bad
will ever
happen to
you.
If you
just had
enough
faith,
if your
faith were
strong enough,
you would
not get
sick,
you would
not be
poor,
you would
not suffer,
you would
not be
tempted,
you would
not be
tried,
but listen
to God's
word here
in 1 Peter
that says,
if you
have the
gift of
genuine
faith,
nothing
bad can
ever conquer
you.
Nothing
bad can
ever,
even in
grief,
rob you
of your
eternal
joy in
Christ
Jesus.
All it
can do
is prove
the power
of God's
work in
you.
All it
can do
is lead
to the
praise and
glory and
honor of
Christ our
King as
you obtain
the outcome
of your
faith,
tested the
salvation of
your soul.
God's
love.
There's a
song that I
love by the
Gettys,
it's called
When Trials
Come.
When trials
come, no
longer fear,
for in our
pain God
draws near.
To fire a
faith worth
more than
gold, and
there his
faithfulness is
told, and
there his
faithfulness is
told.
When I am
weary with the
cost, I see the
triumph of the
cross, so in
its shadow I
shall run till
you complete the
work begun.
Till you
complete the
work begun.
One day all
things will be
made new.
I'll see the
hope you've
called me to,
and in your
kingdom paved
with gold, I'll
praise your
faithfulness of
old.
I'll praise your
faithfulness of
old.
Is this your
hope?
Is this the
hope that you
have?
Is this the
source of your
joy?
I know that
there may be
some in here
who are
hearing this
and are saying
inside your
own mind, I
just don't have
that sort of
joy.
I just don't
enjoy God
like that, and
if that's you,
you might need
to be born
again.
And it may
be that God
is even now
in hearing this
message, convicting
you of your
need for him,
convicting you of
your lack of
joy in him,
and if that's
you, I'd
invite you to
simply pray
where you are
that the Lord
would give you
the gift of
faith in
Christ Jesus,
that he would
give you the
assurance of
things hoped
for.
And it may be
that you do
know the Lord,
but just want
to grow in
enjoying him
more.
That should,
church, that
should be all
of our desire.
would you
pray that the
Lord would
remind you of
the hope he's
given you in
Christ?
Not just now as
we gather, but
Monday morning.
Would he remind
you of the hope
that you have,
remind you of
the new life that
you've been given,
remind you,
strengthen this
gift of faith
in Christ?
One day all
things will be
made new.
We'll see the
hope he's
called us to.
Church, we have
so much to
look forward
to, so much
to rejoice in.
That joy doesn't
have to be
entirely future.
We can live
in rejoicing
in the glory
of God
right now.
And as we
do so, we
will magnify
the glory
of God.
Would you
pray with me?
Lord, we
thank you
and we praise
you.
Blessed be
your name
for the hope
that you've
given us
in Christ,
for the new
life that you've
given us in
Christ, for the
gift of faith
that you've
given us, that
carries us
through.
And Lord, we
pray that you
would increase
our joy and
in doing so
that you would
increase glory
to your name.
We pray this
in Christ's name.
Amen.