WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.240 Good morning, it's good to see all of you, and it's also, it's good to be part of an association 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:15.860 of churches. Marinette Baptist is a part of association of churches with the Ohio Association 00:00:15.860 --> 00:00:20.660 ! of regular Baptist churches, and we have a chance this morning to be able to enjoy some 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:26.359 of the benefits of that fellowship as Brad Rickert will be coming and sharing the word with us. 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:33.859 Brad and his wife served for 33 years in ministry. Four of those years was in camp ministry, 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:41.539 and then 14 of those years was in ministry as a pastor at Emmanuel Baptist. He also served on the 00:00:41.539 --> 00:00:50.340 Council of Twelve for four years. He and his wife have two grown children and five great, not great 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:56.020 grandchildren, but I'm sure they're great too, but five grandchildren, not great grandchildren. And 00:00:56.020 --> 00:01:01.060 it's a joy to have him here this morning. Brad, thank you for bringing the word to us today. 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:14.320 I think we already preached our message in song. Let's pray and go home, shall we? 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:24.379 A fantastic, fantastic music, amen? Because our Savior is fantastic. Because we sang about the Lord, 00:01:24.379 --> 00:01:31.560 we're here because of Him. That's why. If you love the Lord this morning, say amen. Amen. 00:01:33.459 --> 00:01:38.039 Let's bow our heads together. Let's pray, talk to the Lord, and then we'll start together. Lord, 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:46.479 we thank You. Thank You for this week that we've had. It's been another vivid reminder that our life 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:54.780 is all about Christ. Lord, You came to this earth. You willingly submitted Yourself to the will of Your 00:01:54.780 --> 00:02:01.880 Heavenly Father, and You lived in the muck and the mire and the grime of sin. You became sin for us, 00:02:01.960 --> 00:02:07.719 and You went to the cross, and You took our sin upon Yourself. You rose from the dead victorious, 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:13.259 and we have a living Savior. God, we thank You for Your great love for us and for Your grace. 00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:18.679 I pray that as we open Your Word this morning, that we would meet with You and see our Heavenly Father. 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:23.759 May the Spirit of God touch our hearts and move our hearts. God, without the Spirit of God at work, 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:29.399 we accomplish nothing. But if You are at work in my heart, and if You are at work in our hearts, 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:35.919 then God, this is profitable, and this is good, and this is life-changing. It is helpful to us in 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:41.539 every way. We pray, Father, that You would meet with us, that we would listen to You and give You the 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:46.979 glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I want to thank Andrew for allowing me to be here, 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:55.539 and thank Andrew for his friendship, and we pray for him, and you have prayed for him too as well, 00:02:55.799 --> 00:02:59.319 and for your staff, and continue to do that, how important that is. 00:03:00.919 --> 00:03:08.239 We're going to be looking at this idea of confidence, Christ being our confidence. The music that we just 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:14.200 sang was perfect, wasn't it? It was all about the Lord Jesus Christ. Our life as a believer is all about 00:03:14.200 --> 00:03:20.159 Christ. And this morning, I want to look at this thing called confidence. I remember when I first started 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:25.580 in the ministry, my first ministry endeavor was at Silo to Hills Baptist Camp. Ever heard of it? 00:03:27.040 --> 00:03:35.100 Gary Storm was the director then, and I was in high school, and then I went to college, and I continued to work 00:03:35.099 --> 00:03:41.159 at camp, and then we went on full staff when we left Cedarville. Becky and I got married. By the way, I met 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:50.560 Becky at Silo to Hills, and we dated five years. That was my best gift from Silo to Hills, and then we went down 00:03:50.560 --> 00:04:00.159 there full time. Gary Storm was instrumental in my life. He showed me how to have confidence in service 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:05.840 and in ministry. He pushed me like the mother bird out of the nest. That's what he did. And he was 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:11.099 constantly encouraging me, but he was also pushing me in front of people all the time. And it scared me 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:15.840 to death all the time. There were moments when I was quite angry at Gary for making me do what I was 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:21.800 having to do. But you know what? That was the best thing that happened to me. Not only did he give me 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:30.100 self-confidence, but he showed me confidence in the Lord. He had a love for the Word. The staff under him 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:35.040 learned to have a love for the Word. That was one of the best things that I gained from Gary was his 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:41.740 love for the Word. And then God called us into ministry. And you know what? You can't live life 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:47.500 for the Lord, and you can't go into ministry and have self-confidence. Amen? It's not about self-confidence 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:52.800 as believers. It's not about our own confidence. It's about who Jesus Christ is in our life. 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:59.720 I know you love the Lord this morning. Amen? I know you believe Him. If you know Jesus Christ 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:05.680 is your Savior, He is your confidence. He is your strength. He's your encouragement. You're convinced 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:12.800 of that this morning. But how many of us, in honesty, might say in a moment, there are times in my life 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:19.660 when I struggle, there are moments in a day when I struggle to trust the Lord the way I should. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:29.519 Can I get a witness? I love Him. I believe Him. But I struggle. So this passage is as much for my heart 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:36.040 as it is for our hearts collectively. God has been working this passage over in my heart for years. 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:39.600 I need it. I need it. I need it. I need it. I need it. I need it. I need it. I need it. I need it. I need it. 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:45.860 I need it all the time. We are going to be in 2 Peter. So take your Bible and turn to 2 Peter. 00:05:46.340 --> 00:05:51.960 And we're going to look at this reality of Christ being our confidence, the need for Him to be our 00:05:51.960 --> 00:06:00.080 confidence as a child of God. And I want us to look at that this morning and learn from what Peter has to say to us. 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:09.479 I want to begin by looking at Peter's life. I'm going to be specifically in verses 1, 2, 3, and 4 this morning. 00:06:10.459 --> 00:06:13.560 So let's begin and read verse 1 and 2. 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:20.019 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, I'm reading from the ESV, 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:28.599 to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior, 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:37.640 Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 00:06:39.780 --> 00:06:47.020 Here's what I find interesting as we begin these verses. If we were doing an exegetical look and going 00:06:47.020 --> 00:06:53.720 through the book of 1 and 2 Peter, my introduction might be different. But I want to look at Peter here 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:58.500 a moment. As Peter's writing these verses, there's some things that come out simply about who he is. 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:06.959 You know Peter, right? Have you ever heard of him? He was brash. He was upfront. He was not 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:14.839 intimidated easily, right? He acted before he thought. Anybody here ever do that? He spoke before he 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:25.139 thought. He was a proud man in many ways. He was a leader, but he was quick to act before he thought. 00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:37.099 Peter did many things before of the cross, didn't he? He said, I can walk on water, right? Yeah, he did. 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:47.740 He said, Lord, I'll never betray you. He did. Peter often would say, when the guards came to arrest Jesus, 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:56.180 Peter says, I'll take care of this, right? He took off the servant's ear. Now that's reactionary, 00:07:56.259 --> 00:08:02.100 right? Peter was that way. As they were going to the upper room, what were the disciples doing? 00:08:02.460 --> 00:08:06.960 And Peter was among them. What were they doing? They were arguing about who would be what? 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:13.219 The greatest. That was in their mind and heart and soul as they were going to the upper room. 00:08:13.419 --> 00:08:19.919 That was in Peter's heart and mind and soul. The disciples multiple times would be jostling for 00:08:19.919 --> 00:08:26.740 position. Who would have the greatest position in heaven before the Lord? Who would sit on the throne 00:08:26.740 --> 00:08:32.159 with the Lord? There was pride very much involved in that. Peter was very much an outspoken man. 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:39.459 Now we come to verse 1 and 2, and we see Peter, I think, very much a different man. He is now, 00:08:40.199 --> 00:08:49.539 he refers to himself as a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. That's who Peter is. The word 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:55.219 servant there, you know, is doulos. He says, I'm not just a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a slave 00:08:55.219 --> 00:09:02.120 of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have no rights. I have no rights. I have all these riches that 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:05.279 we're going to talk about this morning. I have all these things that God has done for me. 00:09:05.580 --> 00:09:08.139 All these things that God has made available to me. 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:18.399 But I have no right to any of them. It is God and God alone. And Jesus, and Peter begins, 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:24.039 as he writes to these churches, he says, you know what? I'm coming to you as a servant of Jesus Christ. 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:34.959 There is a humility in Peter's heart. He says, I am an apostle. I am one who is sent. I have no rights. 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:42.539 My only right is this. It's to do what Jesus asks me to do. Whatever he desires for me to do, 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:49.199 that's what I want to do. He is one specifically sent by God here, one of the original apostles 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:56.060 who saw the resurrected Lord, who is specifically sent by Jesus Christ to lead. We are also sent, 00:09:56.120 --> 00:10:02.080 are we not? We're not apostles, but we are sent by the Lord. If you know Jesus Christ as Savior, 00:10:02.540 --> 00:10:10.420 you're sent. He has sent us. That's who Peter is. Peter is a changed man. There is something amazing, 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:17.680 and it never ceases to be amazing to see how God changes people. Amen? You think about your own 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:25.519 testimony. Has not God changed your life? Has he not done a great work in your life? Are there people 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:31.539 that you are praying for that God would change their lives? Yes? Amen? That God would do that. 00:10:32.179 --> 00:10:38.279 People you have been praying for. Peter is that man he has changed. There is a humility in his heart. 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:46.679 As he writes, he's writing with humility. He's writing with purpose. He is sent by the Lord for a very 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:54.039 specific purpose, to help build the church. That's what he's doing. He continues in verse 1. He says, 00:10:54.439 --> 00:11:01.639 not only is he a servant and an apostle, but he is of Jesus Christ. He's writing to those who obtained a 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:10.740 faith of equal standing with ours. That tells us that Peter has changed. Peter, in Acts, we see in Acts 10, 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:17.180 Peter is called to go see Cornelius. Before he does, he's given a vision. God says, he brings a sheet down 00:11:17.180 --> 00:11:22.740 of clean and unclean and says to Peter, kill and eat. And three times he does that. And Peter says to 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:31.399 the Lord, what? There's no way I'm touching that. Right? Ain't no way I'm touching that. And then he goes to 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:37.500 minister to Cornelius, and he understands what the Lord was doing. The gospel is now going out, 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:48.580 not just to the Jew, but to who? Us, the Gentiles. Peter had to learn that. See, he had some prejudice 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:55.100 against Gentiles. Do we have prejudice in our lives? Peter had prejudice against the Gentiles. 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:05.460 He went to the, he was at the Jerusalem Council, where they determined that the gospel should go, 00:12:05.460 --> 00:12:11.879 not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. And then in Galatians 2, after Peter had been ministering 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:17.940 many years, Paul comes to Antioch, there's Peter. Peter has, when Paul comes, Peter separates himself 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:25.300 from the Gentiles because he's afraid of the Jews coming from Jerusalem. And Peter has to rebuke him. 00:12:25.700 --> 00:12:31.540 Right? How many of you who love the Lord still have an issue in your life that you struggle with? 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:37.519 Can I get a witness? Amen. Come on, say amen. Come on, you're human, right? You've served the Lord and 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:43.659 loved the Lord for 10 years, 50 years, 100 years. Okay, not 100 years. Right? We've all got issues, 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:50.000 right? Peter had an issue. But here's what we see. The gospel now, as he's writing it, he says, 00:12:50.120 --> 00:12:59.179 it's to everyone of faith. We have an equal standing. We are one together. Peter has learned and is 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:05.199 learning that it's about everyone. That's what he's learning. He continues on here in verse 2. 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:13.120 The gospel is going out by and because of and through the righteousness of our God and Savior, 00:13:13.359 --> 00:13:23.879 Jesus Christ. He has an exalted view of the Lord. Okay? Jesus Christ, who is our God and our Savior in 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:31.179 the Greek there, makes it explicitly clear. There's one article to govern both words there. Jesus is God 00:13:31.179 --> 00:13:41.439 and Jesus is Savior. He is both one and the same. Peter understands that, who Jesus Christ is. He 00:13:41.439 --> 00:13:46.799 understands that Jesus Christ is absolutely righteous. When he first met the Lord, he was fishing, 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:51.600 and they had been fishing all night, and they hadn't caught any fish. And Jesus comes to the disciples, 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:57.320 and Peter's there, and he says, cast the nets out again. And Peter said, what? We've been doing it all night. 00:13:58.019 --> 00:14:04.580 And you know what happens. And their boats are so full of fish, they begin to sink. What does Peter do? 00:14:05.779 --> 00:14:14.279 He falls at his feet, the feet of Jesus, and he says, Jesus, depart from me, for I am a sinful man. 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:22.559 He understands that Jesus is righteous. Peter has a high view of Christ. Peter's the one who 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:29.539 acknowledged, Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. He continues on in verse 2, 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:34.559 may grace and peace be multiplied to you. Peter understands the preeminence of grace. 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:40.379 Everything that we have is by grace. All that we have is by grace. It is all of God. Peter understands 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:47.240 that grace and peace. Peace always follows grace when they're together. We don't have peace without 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:53.820 grace. Amen? There's no peace without grace. It is of the Lord. Peter says, all that I'm writing about 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:59.519 here is about grace. We're going to see that. And then he says this in verse 2, grace and peace be 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:06.879 multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. He understands the need to know Jesus 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:14.580 Christ as a Savior. I think Peter understands two things here. If we were to boil the scriptures 00:15:14.580 --> 00:15:21.120 down to two commands, what might they be? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:29.220 and strength, right? And love your neighbor as yourself. It's obvious here that Peter is in love 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:37.519 with Jesus Christ. Amen? He is a changed man. It's obvious here now that he has learned to love 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:45.860 his neighbor, the Gentile, right? We all have equal standing before the Lord, Jew and Gentile alike. 00:15:46.060 --> 00:15:53.100 Our standing is of the same value. We are equal together before the Lord. I know that the greatest 00:15:53.100 --> 00:15:59.279 call of my life is to love the Lord with everything that I've got. To yield to him, to submit to him. 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:07.300 And as a result of that, to love the people in my life, to love difficult people in my life. Do you 00:16:07.300 --> 00:16:15.920 have any difficult people in your life? We're called to do that. How do we do that? How do we have 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:25.959 confidence when life often gets turned upside down? Where do we turn? How do we maneuver the 00:16:25.959 --> 00:16:31.399 challenges that are thrown at us day in and day out? We never know what a day is going to bring, 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:36.219 but we know Christ is always there. Let's look at Christ this morning. I'm going to look at seven 00:16:36.219 --> 00:16:42.259 reasons why Jesus Christ wants to be, is, and can be your confidence and my confidence. 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:50.679 This is so helpful in my personal life. I come back to these verses all the time. They are a foundation 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:57.379 in my life, and I want us to look at them together. Verse 3 and verse 4, let's pick that up and read that. 00:16:58.600 --> 00:16:59.460 Peter writes, 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:08.460 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the 00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:16.980 knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His 00:17:16.980 --> 00:17:25.299 precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, 00:17:26.600 --> 00:17:31.660 having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:42.200 There are seven reasons, I suggest seven reasons here, why Jesus Christ is the confidence of every 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:51.279 believer, the strength of every believer, no matter what He calls us to or through, whatever it is we're 00:17:51.279 --> 00:18:00.480 facing, Jesus is our confidence. He's our rock. He's our foundation. How does Peter show us that? 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:07.279 Well, first He begins and He reminds us, the first thing He shows us is this, our confidence is in the 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:15.340 Lord because Jesus, number one, is power. He is power in our life. That's what He is. He's powerful 00:18:15.340 --> 00:18:25.240 in our life in every way. Verse 2, He begins and He says, His divine power. Hebrews 1.3 reminds us that 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:32.599 Jesus upholds the universe by the power of His hand, power of His word. By the word of His power, 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:38.960 Jesus upholds the universe. He holds the universe together. I mean, my world gets torn apart sometimes. 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:43.799 How about yours? He's holding the whole universe together. Are you not amazed by creation? 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:50.059 Is there still an amazement factor in your mind, heart, and soul when you think about creation? Amen? 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:57.599 It is amazing. It is vastly far bigger than any of us. We can't understand it all. It's wonders are, 00:18:58.399 --> 00:19:05.960 we can't even describe the wonders of creation. God in Jesus Christ holds it all together with simply 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:12.779 His word. That's power, isn't it? He holds the universe together. If the Lord can hold the universe 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:22.879 together, can He handle your life? Can He handle my life? Can He do that? Yes, He can. He created all 00:19:22.879 --> 00:19:30.319 things by the power of His word. He holds and sustains the universe together by the power of His word. 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:38.980 The only reason our molecules just don't go, because Jesus is holding us together, right? He's holding you 00:19:38.980 --> 00:19:46.599 together. How often do we make it through the day simply because Jesus has held us together? Amen? 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:54.319 That's what He's done. Jesus is power. He holds this universe together. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6.10, 00:19:54.420 --> 00:20:02.259 finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, right? I mean, there's three Greek words 00:20:02.259 --> 00:20:09.240 there referring to the power of God. It reminds us that Jesus Christ, His power is miraculous. 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:16.980 It is explosive. That first word is the word for dynamite, right? Even though Paul didn't know what 00:20:16.980 --> 00:20:21.220 dynamite was there, right? Deuteronomy, right? He didn't know what dynamite was back in the day, but 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:26.559 that's how we would use it, right? It is strong. It is powerful. It is miraculous. Not only that, 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:33.019 though, it is authoritative. He has authority over all powers. And the verses to follow there in 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:40.099 Ephesians 6, the enemy, Satan, is our great enemy. Jesus has authority over him. Are you not glad? 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:48.119 Amen. He has authority over the enemy, over your enemy. He has authority over that enemy. And His might 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:55.079 is not just strong and powerful. That last word reminds us it is inherently His. It wasn't just, 00:20:55.079 --> 00:21:02.000 it wasn't given to Him. It is His because He is God. It is divine. It is divine power. You know, 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:07.259 the angelic world has supernatural power, all right? Have you ever met an angel? 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:15.059 You may know, you may not, right? Are they active? Do they serve the Lord? The demonic hosts, 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:22.439 are they not powerful? Do they have supernatural power? Yes. What they lack is this. They do not have 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:30.940 divine power. Only Jesus has divine power. With the word, He simply overcomes their power, right? 00:21:31.820 --> 00:21:38.480 His power is divine because He is God. How significant that is. Jesus is powerful in our life 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:47.200 all the time. His power is available to us. My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made what? 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:58.819 Perfect in what? Perfect in what? My power is made what? Perfect in weakness. Who is weak here this morning? 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:07.980 Come on, put your hands up. Who is weak? Don't be bashful, okay? You are all weak. Your pastor is weak. 00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:12.599 Oh, not Andrew. Not Andrew. Andrew's got it all together. 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:23.579 He knows, right? And I know better, too. I don't have my life together. I am a weak man. 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:32.259 I'm going to tell you, I'm a weak man without the Lord. But with the Lord, there is a strength in my life 00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:39.259 and in your life that is divine that is better than supernatural, right? It is God Himself. 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:49.440 God says, my power is made perfect. It works the best. It is most productive in an environment of what? 00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:57.480 Weakness. Which means what? If God's going to be strong in my life, I have to lay my weaknesses 00:22:57.480 --> 00:23:04.059 before the Lord and be honest about my weaknesses. I would say to you grandmas and grandpas and moms 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:09.519 and dads, one of the best things you can do in your home is convey to your children and grandchildren 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:15.380 that you are a normal human being who has struggles in your life and that you need the Lord. Amen? 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:22.500 Your kids need to see you be real before the Lord. It's okay for your kids to see you struggle 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:30.220 when you show them Christ, right? We need to be honest about our weakness. 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:35.980 In ministry, as a church, in all of our ministries, wherever and however you connect, 00:23:36.380 --> 00:23:40.680 one of the best things we can do as a church is be vulnerable together with our weaknesses 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:47.319 and bring them together before the Lord. Can I get an amen? Is that easy to do or hard to do? 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:54.039 It's hard to do. But that's one of the best things we can do. When we make ourselves vulnerable 00:23:54.039 --> 00:24:01.359 before the Lord, then He is then able to work because we have yielded that to Him. We must yield. 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:09.879 I must yield my weakness to the Lord. Only then and powerfully so then can He work and do His work 00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:18.360 in my life. Our confidence is the power of God. He is powerful. He transforms our weakness, number one. 00:24:18.840 --> 00:24:24.500 So give your weakness to the Lord. Number two, what's the second reason for confidence in God? 00:24:25.300 --> 00:24:33.040 He goes on to say, His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:39.220 The second reason is this. Jesus provides. Jesus provides in our life. 00:24:42.399 --> 00:24:49.799 He has given us all that we need. I like how the, I'm old now, right? The 1984 NIV version. 00:24:50.259 --> 00:24:54.480 God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. I love it because it's true. 00:24:55.180 --> 00:25:01.099 God's given us everything we need. What do you need this morning? What do you need God to do? 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:07.039 I guess the better question than that is this. What does God want to do in your life? That's even the 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:18.099 better question. It takes confidence to be used of the Lord, not in us, but in Him. Jesus has given 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:23.959 us everything. You know, there's a little verse that we often run by real quick, Luke 2.52, 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:31.559 and Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Oh, that's neat how Jesus 00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:36.279 grew in every area of His life, right? A lot of expect that of Him. He's God and He's man, right? 00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:44.039 What He's showing us that He is growing and He's in favor with the Lord in every area of His life, 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:53.539 mentally, emotionally, spiritually, socially. Jesus is where He ought to be in every facet of His life. 00:25:53.539 --> 00:26:00.819 When we trust the Lord and look at His Word, we understand this one thing. Jesus, through His Word, 00:26:01.139 --> 00:26:07.139 has given us everything that we need in every area of our life. Do you need the Lord to meet you 00:26:07.139 --> 00:26:15.359 emotionally? He's given you the Word. Do you need the Lord to meet mental needs, spiritual needs, 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:22.559 relational needs? Do you know what? Jesus has promised to give us whatever we need for whatever the need is 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:34.179 in our life. It doesn't matter what it is. I'm not against medicine. But there are times in our 00:26:34.179 --> 00:26:41.059 culture where we medicate our needs before we turn to the Lord. Amen? If we need medicine, 00:26:42.059 --> 00:26:46.980 then use the medicine that you need, but make sure your highest priority in your life is what? 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:55.579 Jesus Christ. Turn to Him. Jesus says, I've given you everything you need. He has blessed us with every 00:26:55.579 --> 00:27:01.180 blessing, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. That's quite a promise. 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:10.740 Anyone else that would back Him up against the wall? Okay, prove it, right? Jesus says, I have everything 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:17.019 you need. Whether you're in high school, whether you're raising a child for the first time, your first 00:27:17.019 --> 00:27:22.599 time mom and dad, right? Or you're on a new job, or you're facing something physical that's far beyond 00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:28.980 your ability to cope with, or emotional, whatever it might be. Jesus says, I am there to meet you in that 00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:34.940 need, and I promise to be sufficient in your life. It takes faith to believe that, doesn't it? 00:27:34.940 --> 00:27:42.860 It takes faith to believe that God is able. God hasn't promised always to change what we're going 00:27:42.860 --> 00:27:49.640 through. He hasn't always promised to take that test and that trial away. Paul had the thorn in the 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:54.759 flesh. He pleaded with the Lord to take it away, didn't he? Paul says, no, this is so that you would 00:27:54.759 --> 00:28:03.519 learn my grace. But Jesus has promised everything that we need. So we need to rely on God's grace and on 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:10.960 God's gift. The way to have confidence is to use what God has given to us. Use His Word. Rely on His 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:17.819 Word. Rely on the character of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit. Rely on the armor of God. Rely on the 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:23.680 spiritual gifts and enablements He's given to us as a church. Rely on all the ways that the Lord has 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:30.920 provided for us. That's key, okay? Number three, let's keep moving. The third reason we can have confidence 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:38.120 is this as we continue on. He's granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through 00:28:38.120 --> 00:28:45.600 the knowledge of Him. Number three, we have confidence because Jesus is approachable. How about that? 00:28:47.300 --> 00:28:57.140 We have power and we have everything that we need when we know Jesus Christ. That takes place when we 00:28:57.140 --> 00:29:04.300 receive Jesus Christ as Savior. Before we receive Him as our Savior, we have none of that. When we receive 00:29:04.300 --> 00:29:11.040 Him as Savior, we have all of that. To know Jesus Christ is then to have access to His power and to 00:29:11.040 --> 00:29:17.100 have access to all the resources that He has promised over our life. And so the key for us is to know 00:29:17.099 --> 00:29:24.619 Jesus Christ. But what good is it for Jesus to say, you are to know me, but you don't have access. 00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:31.119 You don't have access. You don't have that. Yeah, you I like. You can come. You I don't like. You're not. 00:29:31.199 --> 00:29:37.079 Not today. Do you see how you've acted today? There's no way. Wait until next week, right? What if God was 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:43.119 like that? He's not like that, isn't He? He says, I want you to know me. I want you to come to me. 00:29:43.119 --> 00:29:52.179 All you who are weary and who, you know what I mean, right? Come unto me. That's an invitation to 00:29:52.179 --> 00:29:57.519 know Him, right? It's an invitation to come to Him, to see who He is, to lay our needs before the Lord. 00:29:58.119 --> 00:30:06.519 He calls us to Him. The Psalms are filled with coming to Jesus Christ and finding Him sufficient 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:11.699 for every need, whatever that might be. This is eternal life that they know you and Jesus, 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:17.980 God and Jesus Christ. Not just eternal life, but it's life. Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. I know 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:27.819 my own and my own. They know me. Let him who boasts, boast in this, that he understands and knows me, 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:35.720 Jeremiah 9, 24. 2 Peter 3, 18, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:47.940 To know the Lord reflects that He is approachable. Every time we open God's Word, Jesus is waiting to 00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:54.740 meet with us. Every time we come to Him in prayer, Jesus is waiting to meet with us. Jesus desperately 00:30:54.740 --> 00:31:06.620 wants you and I to love Him and to come to Him. To know Him means I must open my Word. I must slow down 00:31:06.620 --> 00:31:14.279 in my life and meet with Him. I must. To know Him means that whatever the Lord shows me and lays 00:31:14.279 --> 00:31:21.099 across my heart, then I must then respond. To know the Lord, Peter says, grow in the grace and knowledge 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:29.639 of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To grow means it requires that I change. To grow means to change. 00:31:30.019 --> 00:31:35.339 If I'm going to know the Lord, I must be willing to say this to my Savior, Lord, change me. Amen? 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:42.240 Lord, change me. That's a hard thing to say, isn't it? I would say to all of you, it doesn't matter how 00:31:42.240 --> 00:31:45.859 long you've been saved, there are still areas in your life that the Lord still needs to work on. 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:54.299 Amen? Amen? You know, we need to see that in each other, that acknowledgement. The Lord still, 00:31:54.619 --> 00:31:59.959 you know what's that song? He's still working on me. You don't know that, do you? To make me what I 00:31:59.959 --> 00:32:03.879 ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars. You ever heard that song? 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:13.299 Yeah. But He's still working on me. To know Him is to allow Him to change me. My confidence is, 00:32:13.299 --> 00:32:19.059 our confidence together, is coming to Christ and say, Lord, I want to know you. I want to know you. 00:32:19.159 --> 00:32:23.079 I want to know your power. I want to know the fellowship of your sufferings, right? Paul put it 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:27.359 that way. I want to know everything about you. And to know Him is to say, Lord, how you walked, 00:32:28.019 --> 00:32:33.819 I want to walk. How you responded to people in your life, I want to respond that way. How you handled 00:32:33.819 --> 00:32:39.899 difficult people, I want to be the same way. Lord, how you loved people, I want to be the same way. 00:32:39.900 --> 00:32:46.440 What was in your heart, I want that in my heart. That moves us on. So, to have confidence in the 00:32:46.440 --> 00:32:52.340 Lord is to know Him, is to draw near to Him. To know Him reveals relationship. To know the Lord 00:32:52.340 --> 00:32:56.440 reveals that you are in relationship with Jesus Christ. Number four, okay? Let's keep moving. 00:32:57.700 --> 00:32:59.040 Number four, we see this. 00:33:02.040 --> 00:33:02.840 Verse three, 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:12.699 He called us to His own glory and excellence. We know Him, the one who called us to, there's an 00:33:12.699 --> 00:33:16.740 argument there, is it to His own glory and excellence or by His own glory and excellence? 00:33:16.819 --> 00:33:23.000 I won't fight that fight here, okay? They're both right, right? What's key here is this. 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:31.359 Our confidence is in the character of Jesus Christ. Jesus is good, number four. Our confidence is this. 00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:37.240 Jesus is good. It's His character. When we were saved, when I was saved, I was drawn to who Jesus 00:33:37.240 --> 00:33:45.819 Christ was. I was a sinner and He was righteous and yet He loved me anyways. And He offered forgiveness 00:33:45.819 --> 00:33:53.639 to me and He offered to change my life and He offered to meet me where I was. That is the character and 00:33:53.639 --> 00:34:00.299 heart of a God that I want. How about you? And when unbelievers meet us, they need to see that 00:34:00.299 --> 00:34:06.399 character come out of our life. The grace of God out of poor, out of the life of a believer 00:34:06.399 --> 00:34:15.719 to every unbeliever, right? That's who He was. The fact that He even offers salvation and makes it 00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:24.739 available, it shows us how good God is. None of us deserve the grace of the gospel. None of us deserve 00:34:24.739 --> 00:34:30.859 who Jesus Christ is in eternal life and yet He makes it available. He is good all the time. He is 00:34:30.859 --> 00:34:35.899 good when we can't explain what's going on in our life. He is good when our life is turned upside down. 00:34:36.159 --> 00:34:41.399 Right now, I know I'm speaking to people whose life is turned upside down right now. The Lord is still 00:34:41.399 --> 00:34:50.699 good. He's still good. He's the only one who can take the mess of my life and turn it around. He's the 00:34:50.699 --> 00:34:56.379 only one who can do that. He's the only one who can meet me with power and with grace. He's the only 00:34:56.379 --> 00:35:02.299 one who can do that. Sin is a horrible thing and it has infected this world, not just our lives, but 00:35:02.299 --> 00:35:10.079 all of the world and its curse is around us. We live in a world of sin and we are all affected by it. 00:35:10.919 --> 00:35:18.519 And yet Jesus Christ is good all the time. Never forget how good Jesus Christ is in your life. 00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:21.320 Peter says this, 00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:28.460 I proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 00:35:29.539 --> 00:35:32.420 He called us. He is good. Paul says, 00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:35.639 The life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who what? 00:35:36.759 --> 00:35:42.480 Loved me and gave Himself for me. That is the character of who He is. That is who God is. 00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:46.980 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly. 00:35:46.980 --> 00:35:54.119 Jesus Christ, His character is impeccable in every way. That He could love me a sinner. That He could 00:35:54.119 --> 00:36:01.380 love you a sinner. That He gives us the ability to love that same way to people in our life is an 00:36:01.380 --> 00:36:06.659 amazing thing, isn't it? Yeah. Isn't it amazing that anybody loved you? 00:36:06.659 --> 00:36:15.359 And yet we are filled with people who love us. Amen? Yeah. We are all unlovable often. 00:36:16.259 --> 00:36:21.699 And yet Jesus Christ says, you know what? I love you. I love you enough to meet with you and to change you. 00:36:22.739 --> 00:36:31.359 He is good all the time. To have confidence in the Lord is to believe that He's good. No matter, 00:36:31.360 --> 00:36:40.780 no matter, no matter what is going on in our life, that He is good. That's faith, isn't it? He is good. 00:36:42.880 --> 00:36:50.480 As Peter said, Lord, increase my faith. Increase our faith, right? God, increase my faith. 00:36:51.220 --> 00:36:54.039 That I would believe that more and more and more. 00:36:54.039 --> 00:37:04.940 Number five, His character, verse 4, His goodness, who He is by that character, verse 4, 00:37:05.380 --> 00:37:11.779 He has granted to us His precious and very great promises. Our fifth reason to be confident in Christ 00:37:11.779 --> 00:37:21.820 is that He can be trusted. This Word of God is a Word of promise from God to us. It is the Word of 00:37:21.820 --> 00:37:29.200 promise. It is filled with promise. That promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It is God's promise 00:37:29.200 --> 00:37:36.539 to man. 2 Corinthians 1.20, for all the promises of God find their yes in Christ. That is why it is 00:37:36.539 --> 00:37:44.700 through Him that we utter our amen to God for His glory. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, trust in the Lord with 00:37:44.699 --> 00:37:55.219 with all your heart. Proverbs 62, 8, trust in Him at all times, O people. Pour out your heart before Him. 00:37:55.679 --> 00:38:04.679 Jeremiah 17, 7, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. God says He keeps our hearts in peace, 00:38:05.319 --> 00:38:11.299 the ones who trust Him, right? We are called to trust Him, to trust Him with everything in our life. 00:38:11.300 --> 00:38:22.860 The result is this. When we trust Him, we see that God's promises never fail, never fail. He keeps 00:38:22.860 --> 00:38:27.660 His Word. His timetable is vastly different than ours. That's why we struggle at times, don't we? 00:38:28.080 --> 00:38:34.060 We struggle because His timetable is not our timetable. I want things done yesterday. He says, 00:38:34.059 --> 00:38:43.759 well, it may be a month or two or three, right? He can be trusted. His promises can be trusted. All of 00:38:43.759 --> 00:38:52.320 His promises can be trusted. Has your life not been shaped by the promises of God? Are you still not 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:57.940 encouraged in your life because of the promises of God and all God's people said, amen? You and I, 00:38:57.940 --> 00:39:04.880 we hang on to the promises of God, don't we? We cling to those things. It is God speaking to us 00:39:04.880 --> 00:39:11.559 and saying, I have this. Not only have your life, I have your future. I have everything that you long 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:18.639 for. We could go through promises. We won't do that now. But God speaks to us from His promises. 00:39:18.639 --> 00:39:26.639 They are precious and they are very great. Peter knows that and I know that. And if you're walking 00:39:26.639 --> 00:39:32.119 with the Lord, you know that as well. It is His promises that we hang on to. Our confidence is in 00:39:32.119 --> 00:39:39.839 God's Word. His promise is who He is, how significant that is. And so the promises of God need to fuel our 00:39:39.839 --> 00:39:45.559 lives, energize our lives, and they do. You know, when I am discouraged, when I'm discouraged, you know 00:39:45.559 --> 00:39:56.319 what I do? I go back to God's Word. It energizes my life. It really does. We've all been in moments 00:39:56.320 --> 00:40:00.640 where we don't know if we're ever going to get out of that moment, out of that experience. We've gone 00:40:00.640 --> 00:40:07.019 through moments that are just so difficult and so hard, it's hard to put words to it. And the scars 00:40:07.019 --> 00:40:12.660 are maybe still there. But then to go back to God's Word and to open your Word and to see the promises 00:40:12.660 --> 00:40:20.580 of God and the faithfulness of God, what a difference that makes in our lives. What a change that makes in 00:40:20.579 --> 00:40:27.480 our life. And I will come out of those moments, and you know what? Nothing's changed. But I have, 00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:35.119 because I've met with the Lord. And He's changed my perspective completely. Have you ever experienced 00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:40.360 that before? God doing that work in your heart. That is an amazing thing, isn't it? God's promises. 00:40:42.219 --> 00:40:48.019 Yeah. My confidence is in Him, not because He's promised to change my circumstances in a moment. 00:40:48.019 --> 00:40:56.199 My confidence is because I trust Him. I trust Him. Number six, we've got two more, right? 00:40:57.900 --> 00:41:03.340 Number six, these promises, so that through them, through these promises, all these promises, 00:41:03.539 --> 00:41:08.940 you may become partakers of the divine nature. Our sixth reason for confidence is this, 00:41:08.940 --> 00:41:18.500 Jesus is always present. He's always present. Through these promises, we become partakers of the 00:41:18.500 --> 00:41:25.380 divine nature. Something divine takes place in our heart and life. If anyone is in Christ, he is a 00:41:25.380 --> 00:41:32.599 new creature, new creation. All things have become new. All things have passed away, right? 00:41:32.599 --> 00:41:42.860 What's the first promise to an unbeliever? Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:56.799 When that happens, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our life and seals our salvation. Ephesians 1, 00:41:56.839 --> 00:42:02.139 right? Jesus Christ comes to live in our life through the Spirit of God. Paul puts it this way, 00:42:02.139 --> 00:42:08.679 examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves, or do you not realize 00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:15.759 this about yourself that Jesus Christ is in you, right? Galatians, I have been crucified with Christ. 00:42:15.859 --> 00:42:24.059 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who what? Christ who lives in me. Yeah. 00:42:24.059 --> 00:42:32.880 Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. Colossians 1, the riches of the glory of the mystery of the 00:42:32.880 --> 00:42:42.360 gospel. This gospel, this mystery is this, it is Christ in us. Jesus says in Hebrews 13, 1, 00:42:42.440 --> 00:42:47.799 I will never leave you nor forsake you. Jesus is with us all the time. He's present all the time. 00:42:47.800 --> 00:42:54.240 He's present in your life. He'll never leave. You know, there's a thought that just boggles my mind. 00:42:54.320 --> 00:42:59.000 As long as I've been a Christian and been in the ministry, it still boggles my mind that the Spirit 00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:03.760 of God and Christ through the Spirit lives in me and dwells in me and will never leave, and yet I sin. 00:43:04.780 --> 00:43:08.180 It's an amazing thing that God just doesn't say, Brad, I'm sick and tired. I'm gone. 00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:14.080 Are you not amazed? Do we take for granted the fact that Jesus has promised to love you so much 00:43:14.079 --> 00:43:20.099 that in spite of your sin, He'll not leave you? Isn't that, come on, isn't that an amazing thing? 00:43:20.840 --> 00:43:27.960 God has every right to leave every one of us this morning. Amen? But He has promised not to. 00:43:28.639 --> 00:43:34.940 Come on, that's an amazing Savior, isn't it? You're all rotten sinners, and so am I. 00:43:34.940 --> 00:43:41.579 But we are well-loved, and we are righteous before Him, and we are His precious children, 00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:47.240 and we mean everything to the Lord because He bought us with His blood. Amen? We are precious. 00:43:48.980 --> 00:43:56.220 We are both things at the same time. I am amazed that God lives in me, but He does. 00:43:57.179 --> 00:44:02.780 He's with me everywhere I go. His Word is with me everywhere I go. That's why it's so important 00:44:02.780 --> 00:44:08.100 for the Word of God to be ingrained into our life, to take it with us into every circumstance, 00:44:08.360 --> 00:44:12.500 into every trial, so that we have the Word of God. Even if the Bible is not with me, 00:44:12.560 --> 00:44:18.660 I have the Word in my heart. The Word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin, right, against God. 00:44:19.580 --> 00:44:24.680 Yeah. Jesus is always present. The confidence comes. 00:44:24.679 --> 00:44:33.259 That's a reality. Is it unnerving sometimes to know that Jesus is there when we're doing stuff we shouldn't be doing, 00:44:33.559 --> 00:44:36.859 or thinking things we shouldn't be thinking? Is it unnerving sometimes? Say yes. 00:44:37.839 --> 00:44:39.259 Yeah. If we're honest, right? 00:44:40.319 --> 00:44:42.059 But the flip side is also true. 00:44:44.279 --> 00:44:46.819 Jesus has given us the blessing of enjoying Him. 00:44:47.960 --> 00:44:49.719 Confidence comes when I enjoy the Lord. 00:44:49.719 --> 00:44:54.679 When I sit down in my Word and I find, wow, what joy to meet with the Lord. 00:44:55.039 --> 00:44:57.619 Isn't that a blessing? To meet with Jesus Christ? 00:44:58.339 --> 00:45:01.919 To talk with Him in prayer and know that He's right here and He's present? 00:45:02.619 --> 00:45:06.519 And He's walking with me and He's talking with me all the time. 00:45:08.459 --> 00:45:09.339 The psalmist says, 00:45:09.399 --> 00:45:13.119 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for why? 00:45:14.579 --> 00:45:15.379 You're with me. 00:45:15.879 --> 00:45:16.980 Evil is all around us. 00:45:16.980 --> 00:45:20.940 Shadows are all around us. 00:45:21.519 --> 00:45:22.619 Shadows are in your life. 00:45:23.420 --> 00:45:24.559 Shadows are in your world. 00:45:24.980 --> 00:45:27.000 And yet Jesus is right there walking with us. 00:45:27.699 --> 00:45:30.099 We're going to have shadows as long as we're in this life. 00:45:30.760 --> 00:45:31.219 It's a guarantee. 00:45:32.360 --> 00:45:34.920 The greater guarantee is the Lord's with us in every one of those. 00:45:36.199 --> 00:45:39.099 Creating opportunities in our life to use for the glory of God. 00:45:39.159 --> 00:45:39.639 Number seven. 00:45:41.639 --> 00:45:42.420 Number seven. 00:45:42.420 --> 00:45:45.659 And through these promises we become partakers of the divine nature. 00:45:45.659 --> 00:45:46.719 He comes to live within us. 00:45:46.819 --> 00:45:51.639 Having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 00:45:52.299 --> 00:45:53.239 When did we escape? 00:45:53.359 --> 00:45:56.399 We escaped when we met Jesus Christ as Savior and received Him as Savior. 00:45:56.819 --> 00:45:56.960 Right? 00:45:57.759 --> 00:46:00.000 That's why that divine nature becomes a reality. 00:46:00.480 --> 00:46:03.399 This last reality of confidence is this. 00:46:03.519 --> 00:46:04.440 Jesus delivers. 00:46:04.940 --> 00:46:05.879 He delivers us. 00:46:05.880 --> 00:46:06.900 That's what He does. 00:46:08.640 --> 00:46:10.160 He delivers us from sin. 00:46:10.519 --> 00:46:10.940 That word. 00:46:11.300 --> 00:46:12.660 It is the corruption of sin. 00:46:12.740 --> 00:46:14.860 That word corruption in the Greek is this. 00:46:15.400 --> 00:46:17.160 It is a stench. 00:46:17.740 --> 00:46:19.640 Sin is a stench before the Lord. 00:46:21.160 --> 00:46:23.780 You ever have something in your garbage that just sits too long? 00:46:24.599 --> 00:46:25.360 It just stinks? 00:46:25.840 --> 00:46:29.180 You ever have your husband's doesn't put their dirty laundry away and it just starts to stink? 00:46:29.320 --> 00:46:29.440 Right? 00:46:29.440 --> 00:46:29.480 Right? 00:46:30.840 --> 00:46:31.679 Dirty feet. 00:46:32.139 --> 00:46:34.960 You don't wash and shower and all of a sudden, wow, I better go shower. 00:46:35.179 --> 00:46:35.380 Right? 00:46:35.900 --> 00:46:36.780 You know how that goes. 00:46:36.840 --> 00:46:37.019 Right? 00:46:37.539 --> 00:46:38.460 It is a stench. 00:46:38.639 --> 00:46:40.039 It's a stench that's internal. 00:46:40.420 --> 00:46:43.320 It's a stench that can't be washed away. 00:46:45.240 --> 00:46:46.659 Jesus does the impossible. 00:46:46.860 --> 00:46:48.039 He delivers us from that. 00:46:48.559 --> 00:46:50.119 He washes us from that. 00:46:50.280 --> 00:46:51.579 He cleanses us from that. 00:46:52.000 --> 00:46:54.659 He helps us to escape the stench of sin. 00:46:54.759 --> 00:46:56.440 That's what He does when we're saved. 00:46:56.519 --> 00:46:59.519 And He places us into a new relationship. 00:47:00.099 --> 00:47:02.239 We're no longer defined by the stench. 00:47:02.319 --> 00:47:04.420 We are washed and we are clean before the Lord. 00:47:04.860 --> 00:47:09.159 Even when I sin, I'm still righteous before the Lord in my position. 00:47:09.759 --> 00:47:10.039 Right? 00:47:10.420 --> 00:47:12.079 I'm never unsaved because I sin. 00:47:12.500 --> 00:47:13.380 Praise the Lord for that. 00:47:14.380 --> 00:47:15.840 But I still need to make it right. 00:47:16.619 --> 00:47:19.360 But Jesus says here, He delivers us from sin. 00:47:19.360 --> 00:47:21.280 He delivers us from the sin of this world. 00:47:21.860 --> 00:47:23.360 We're not delivered from this world. 00:47:23.660 --> 00:47:24.140 Not yet. 00:47:24.240 --> 00:47:24.860 We live in it. 00:47:25.400 --> 00:47:27.000 That day is coming when the Lord returns. 00:47:28.120 --> 00:47:30.300 But we are delivered from the stench of the sin. 00:47:30.660 --> 00:47:33.599 Sin no longer has control over the believer. 00:47:35.340 --> 00:47:40.320 Because the sin nature has now been overpowered by the nature of Jesus Christ. 00:47:41.480 --> 00:47:43.360 We have the ability to be overcomers. 00:47:43.980 --> 00:47:44.940 Do you believe that this morning? 00:47:45.559 --> 00:47:46.860 We all struggle with sin. 00:47:46.860 --> 00:47:49.140 In some way, shape, or form, all of us do. 00:47:50.500 --> 00:47:53.680 Faith comes in and understands and believes. 00:47:53.780 --> 00:47:54.180 You know what? 00:47:54.559 --> 00:47:57.880 Jesus gives me the ability to overcome the sin in my life. 00:47:58.300 --> 00:47:59.820 In His power and His strength. 00:48:00.019 --> 00:48:00.740 That's what He does. 00:48:01.240 --> 00:48:02.220 Jesus is my power. 00:48:02.340 --> 00:48:03.099 He is my strength. 00:48:03.440 --> 00:48:04.579 He's my deliverer. 00:48:04.820 --> 00:48:06.539 I overcome in Jesus Christ. 00:48:06.660 --> 00:48:07.820 That's what happens. 00:48:09.599 --> 00:48:13.220 He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness. 00:48:13.219 --> 00:48:15.000 Psalm 31.1 00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:16.719 And you, O Lord, do I take refuge. 00:48:16.799 --> 00:48:18.959 In your righteousness, deliver me. 00:48:19.699 --> 00:48:21.299 Psalm 34.19 00:48:21.299 --> 00:48:26.939 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers Him out of them all. 00:48:28.339 --> 00:48:29.759 Psalm 50.15 00:48:29.759 --> 00:48:33.559 Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. 00:48:34.339 --> 00:48:35.279 That's His promise. 00:48:36.980 --> 00:48:38.379 That's His promise to us. 00:48:38.380 --> 00:48:42.720 Jesus is the confidence of every believer. 00:48:44.240 --> 00:48:45.160 He's our power. 00:48:45.320 --> 00:48:48.240 He says, turn, turn, give your weakness to me. 00:48:48.860 --> 00:48:51.440 He has provided everything that we need for life and godliness. 00:48:51.640 --> 00:48:51.960 Everything. 00:48:54.039 --> 00:48:58.019 Confidence comes when I actually use in my life what He's given to me. 00:48:58.340 --> 00:49:05.200 By faith, I begin to put into practice in my life the very tools He's given me to use. 00:49:05.199 --> 00:49:11.679 Jesus reminds me that He is approachable. 00:49:12.179 --> 00:49:14.099 Confidence comes when I spend time with the Lord. 00:49:15.579 --> 00:49:18.539 I grow in not just knowing who He is. 00:49:18.899 --> 00:49:21.759 I grow in living who He is. 00:49:21.980 --> 00:49:23.719 It becomes experiential in my life. 00:49:24.839 --> 00:49:29.779 Jesus Christ, the knowledge of who He is in God's Word, becomes the experience of my life. 00:49:30.500 --> 00:49:31.319 Jesus is good. 00:49:31.819 --> 00:49:33.379 Confidence comes when I believe that. 00:49:33.380 --> 00:49:40.820 When I walk through my life and my testimony shines for Christ, no matter how dark the things in my life might be, 00:49:40.920 --> 00:49:46.340 no matter how difficult the testing might be, or the persecution, or the struggle that I'm going through, 00:49:46.500 --> 00:49:51.720 or whatever it might be, confidence comes when I bring those things to the Lord and say, 00:49:51.780 --> 00:49:56.760 you know what, these things are true in my life, but I know you're good, and I trust you. 00:49:56.980 --> 00:49:58.079 My faith is in you. 00:49:58.079 --> 00:50:00.900 I'm going to walk faithfully before you because I know you're good. 00:50:01.480 --> 00:50:02.619 I'm not letting go of that. 00:50:02.819 --> 00:50:04.699 I know you're good in my life. 00:50:04.920 --> 00:50:06.639 I'm not letting go of that in my life. 00:50:07.039 --> 00:50:07.900 I'm going to hang on to that. 00:50:09.380 --> 00:50:13.819 Confidence comes when we trust the Lord and believe His promises, believe His Word. 00:50:15.980 --> 00:50:18.380 If those promises are true, then they shape our lives. 00:50:19.199 --> 00:50:21.079 Peter ends here, those last promises. 00:50:21.079 --> 00:50:27.500 He delivers us not just from sin, verse 12, He delivers us to a hope and a future as well. 00:50:28.480 --> 00:50:29.579 I mean, sorry, verse 11. 00:50:29.819 --> 00:50:30.259 Peter writes, 00:50:30.380 --> 00:50:36.920 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:50:39.739 --> 00:50:42.779 Peter knows that there has been a past deliverance. 00:50:43.139 --> 00:50:47.259 There will be a future deliverance to glory into the presence of the Lord forever. 00:50:47.260 --> 00:50:53.860 My prayer for you as a church, my prayer for myself as I walk with the Lord is my confidence is in Christ. 00:50:54.580 --> 00:50:55.700 That I live that out. 00:50:55.940 --> 00:50:56.920 That I do that well. 00:50:57.700 --> 00:51:00.500 That I keep my eyes on Christ all the time. 00:51:01.620 --> 00:51:04.000 It's easy for our eyes to go somewhere else. 00:51:04.340 --> 00:51:06.700 It's easy for our eyes to go on what we're going through. 00:51:07.440 --> 00:51:10.300 Lord, turn my eyes to you that I will see you. 00:51:10.660 --> 00:51:12.200 God, keep me focused on you. 00:51:13.060 --> 00:51:14.320 I know you love me. 00:51:14.840 --> 00:51:16.000 I know you're good. 00:51:16.000 --> 00:51:18.119 I know you've given me everything that I need. 00:51:19.199 --> 00:51:20.579 So Lord, help me to grow in faith. 00:51:21.420 --> 00:51:27.079 Help me to be someone who lives and shines for the glory of God. 00:51:27.280 --> 00:51:30.599 So that people see Christ as a light in my life. 00:51:31.460 --> 00:51:33.960 May the Lord be our confidence in every way. 00:51:34.320 --> 00:51:35.280 Come back to these verses. 00:51:35.699 --> 00:51:37.159 Look at Jesus Christ. 00:51:37.599 --> 00:51:38.320 He's your confidence. 00:51:39.260 --> 00:51:40.219 Not the church. 00:51:40.440 --> 00:51:41.179 Not the programs. 00:51:41.480 --> 00:51:43.059 Not the good times that we have in life. 00:51:43.159 --> 00:51:43.860 Not our families. 00:51:44.380 --> 00:51:45.300 Christ is our confidence. 00:51:45.300 --> 00:51:46.500 He's our confidence. 00:51:46.500 --> 00:51:46.660 He's our confidence. 00:51:47.160 --> 00:51:48.620 All the other things change. 00:51:49.180 --> 00:51:50.019 Jesus does not. 00:51:50.860 --> 00:51:51.640 Look at him. 00:51:52.440 --> 00:51:55.519 I have been blessed with many good things in my life and so have you. 00:51:55.940 --> 00:51:57.900 But those things cannot be my confidence. 00:51:58.380 --> 00:51:59.440 Only Jesus Christ. 00:51:59.940 --> 00:52:00.740 Only him alone. 00:52:00.739 --> 00:52:02.839 Let's bow in prayer. 00:52:02.839 --> 00:52:06.979 Lord, help us to turn our eyes and our hearts to you. 00:52:07.519 --> 00:52:12.859 There may be one here this morning that needs to see Jesus Christ as Savior for the first time. 00:52:13.219 --> 00:52:16.479 To give their hearts to you and say, Lord, I am a sinner. 00:52:16.619 --> 00:52:17.899 I am in need of a Savior. 00:52:17.900 --> 00:52:21.380 I need one to step into my life as Savior. 00:52:21.680 --> 00:52:27.559 Lord, I need you to step into my life and to change me and to wash me and to forgive me. 00:52:28.099 --> 00:52:31.200 Lord, I need your righteousness. 00:52:32.059 --> 00:52:34.260 Lord, I need what only you can give. 00:52:34.680 --> 00:52:36.200 I give my life to you. 00:52:36.940 --> 00:52:40.019 Lord, I place my faith and my trust in you. 00:52:40.019 --> 00:52:47.400 That you might change my life forever and love me and walk with me and give me a hope and a future. 00:52:48.099 --> 00:52:52.239 To all of us here who love Jesus Christ and walk with him, we're human. 00:52:52.659 --> 00:52:56.699 Every day we need to wake up and say, Lord, you are my confidence today. 00:52:57.579 --> 00:53:00.759 Lord, I will walk with you today and I will be intentional about that. 00:53:01.239 --> 00:53:04.860 I will turn my eyes again to you and to your word. 00:53:04.940 --> 00:53:07.320 I will listen to the Spirit of God as he moves in my heart. 00:53:07.320 --> 00:53:14.760 Lord, may that be the conviction of our heart, the intentional purpose of our heart to look to you and to live for you well. 00:53:15.039 --> 00:53:15.920 We love you. 00:53:16.400 --> 00:53:18.320 We thank you for your great love to us. 00:53:18.960 --> 00:53:21.640 Thank you for these words of encouragement from your word. 00:53:22.559 --> 00:53:24.640 May you be our confidence in every way. 00:53:25.019 --> 00:53:28.800 And may it change how we live our life for the glory of God, we pray in Jesus' name. 00:53:29.120 --> 00:53:29.340 Amen.