1 Peter 1:1-3

1 Peter 1:1‑3
Reading
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And full rush and resides.
Jesus, our head of fullness, of eyes, to answer all needs 267.
433.
9.
4.
I don't know this year. Bye bye.
Come on.
On Wednesday and water, I haven't heard, you know, whatever you're going to do in your heart.
Oh sorry, but I don't know how to put it in about 9 $100,000 and I have no time. I don't know why I forgive you and it's not out of my opinion. Coming on the river clouds while drinking is gone and Spears.
When?
I.
Get one of them.
Together.
And when I am waiting hard 28 minutes.
It also seemed 132.
The person of the Christ encode it every grace 132.
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I mean, I can't get anything and then I don't know what you're talking about. You're going to get.
The.
Highlighted power.
In Revelation chapter 4.
Revelation 4 and the first verse.
After this I will behold the door was opened in heaven.
First voice which I heard were of a trumpet. Talking with me would sit. Calm up, Hitler, Now we show you these things which must be here. After my thought was on the part, come up, hit her.
Our dog and our Father. First of all, we would thank for my love, My grace and my mercy shows the way.
I know that by love was proven to often a gift or my son.
And now you believe have a short time remaining before we will hear that shout to come up with it.
We pray that my last spirit that will guide us proportion we should have before us that which would be for our encouragement, direction and our pathway here for whatever time may remain to us. But we know it should be the desire of each one to hear that call come up here that leave this scene and be our God and Father and my home above with the light our Savior for all eternity. So we would just commit this time together now in July hands and ask again for my guidance and direction and we ask these things with Thanksgiving.
In the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Other than if it would be the mind of the Lord to look at first Peter chapter one.
For this reading anyway, we need to have to continue with it rather than another exercise. But thinking we've been occupied with our portion, internal portion in Christ and uh.
But we're still in the Pilgrim pathway and we need the instruction of that of feeder for our pathway down here. This be the mind of the brothers.
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Stop.
In the first chapter of uh, Peter.
Peter and Apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Athenia. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you in peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy.
Has begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance.
Incorruptible and undefiled, and the fate is not away. Reserved in heaven. For you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein he greatly rejoice. Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than a golden paraphrase. So if he tried with fire might be found under praise and honor, and glory of the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Whom, having not seen any luck, in whom, though now you see Him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Avoid salvation and problems. Have inquired and searched diligently, who prophecy to the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ was in which was in them? It signified, when it testified beforehand, the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow unto whom it was revealed, but not unto themselves, but unto us they did. Minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you.
With the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into?
Wherefore we're dropped the loins of your mind. Be sober, and uh, hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust and your ignorance, but as he which has called you was holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, being holy. For I am holy. And if he call on the Father.
Who was out of respect of persons, judges, according to every man's work past the time of your soul journey here in fear, or as much as you know, as you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your body. But what the precious time comes from, as of a land without blemish and without spot? Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world?
Was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God to raise him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hopefully be in God, seeing if purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unseen love of the brethren. See that she loved one another with a pure heart fervently being born again not a corruptible sin as he, but of incorruptible.
By the Word of God, which liveth and abides forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass bittering, and the flower thereof falls away, but the Word of the Lord endureth forever.
And this is the word just by the gospel is preached unto you.
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I suppose you could say that Peter has defined the government of God in relation to uh.
The believer in the first Epistle.
The government of God in relation to the world in the second episode.
But He brings before us our heavenly calling. Uh.
Uh, here in the first chapter, but also, uh, reminding us that we are still.
Strangers and pilgrims in this world, in the scene of trial and, uh, suffering.
Perhaps it is particularly addressed to the nation of Israel, to those that were.
Connected with Israel.
Uh, by, by, uh, nationality and who had been scattered in the dispersion, uh, who were probably, uh, suffering privations and persecutions.
So, umm, suffering is prominent in this official.
And the government of God in our lives is important that we, uh, that we keep this in mind, uh, in our, in our pathway down here. Certainly we have this inheritance in corruptible, undefiled that we have been speaking about these last few days, but we're also brought down to the earth. We're, we're not, we're not in the glory yet.
We are still in a, uh, a scene of, of trial and, uh.
Uh, difficulty.
Yeah, Sorrel and the Apostle encourages us. Umm.
With these exhortation.
And, uh, it's good to be reminded of, uh, the Lord's, umm, care over us and his, his government in our lives because, uh, he is watching over us every day of our lives.
Umm, as we have brought out in this chapter.
You know, possible, it speaks up here is up here and apostle. You know what an apostle is an apostle.
Muscle is a simple.
And anyone here that has been saved is first of all chosen and secondly sent. I think we get that in John's epistle. Pardon me, John Scott, the Lord said in the 17th chapter of John, as the Father hath loved me, I'm sorry.
Please turn to John 17.
Better when we look at the birth, isn't it?
I guess I was thinking of the 1St as the Father had loved me, so have I loved you. That's John 15 verse 9. Continually in my love, but then in this verse here in John 17.
And verse 18 it says.
As thou has sent me into the world, Even so have I also sent them into the world.
First of all, we've been chosen, we've been saved, we've been loved for the Father and we belong to him. And then we are sent back into the world. When you and I were saved, we weren't taken right to heaven. We were just not and not just left here, but since here. And Peter starts his epistle here by saying.
Uh, Peter, an apostle I sent when of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout conscious relationship.
Cappadocia, Asia and Athenia. Peter's ministry was particularly to the Jews. And it's good for us to see the calling that the Lord has for each of us in our lives and to abide in the calling that the Lord has for us. But I think of it here in connection with Peter. You know, he had a deep love. This was written near the end of his life.
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Almost over 30 years after.
The Lord had gone back to heaven and Peter was nearing the end of his life. I take it a man probably in about six years. And his affection and his desire to fulfill the the uh, Commission that the Lord had given to him in John chapter 21 is evident right to the end of his life and his affection to the Saints that are scattered abroad. And brethren, we live in a day.
When we feel the dispersion of the Lord's people.
We feel the weakness and we need to encourage one another to go on in the path of faith and faithfulness to the Lord.
I think it's nice to see that in this chapter Peter writing talks about that which is passed, that which is present and that which is used. Uh, he says in verse two elect according to the foreknowledge of God. Now we know from other scriptures, for example on the 1St chapter, Ephesians, we have chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, even before the foundation of the world.
He knew us and chose us. He let and uh, of course Peter is, uh, speaking to those that are, are presently on Europe at this time and speaks about their temptations and and so on. But he also mentions in verse four an inheritance incorruptible on defile that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you, and that's looking on to the Lord.
When it comes to the word of God and uh, and the way it is written in some portions, particularly in, uh, John's Gospel, for example, a lot of things that are future is spoken of that they had already taken place.
So sure where they could be done because it was a master plan of, of credentials. Notice in our chapter how that, uh, in verse 19 and 20, it speaks of Christ.
You need a Lamb of God ordained before the foundation of the world, the whole plan of redemption in place before the world was named.
Just in disregard, uh, forward to Romans chapter 8. I always like this portion.
Roman's yesterday.
Start from verse 28 and close.
We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are to call according to His purpose, for whom He did for know. He also did predestiny to be conformed to the image of His Son, and He might be the first horn among many brothers. Moreover, boom, He did the destiny and He also called, and then He called, then He also justified, and whom he justified, and then He also glorified.
What I find very interesting here is that it's all in the past hints and yet it speaks of that which was in eternity past. If we can use that terminology. It speaks of that which is in the in the frame of time in which we live. And it speaks about that which is yet future because he foreknew us and he destined to us before the foundation of the world, but when time began and.
During our lifetime, we're called and we're justified by faith in Christ.
And then eventually we will be complete and perfect, as the scripture puts it will be glorified. And it's it's a done deal. It's already done because it's based not upon our faithfulness or anything that we can do because we'll mess it up.
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Is based on the market size.
What is the lecture, Brother Darryl?
Uh, election and chosen I understand are pretty much the same word, so.
Will we, uh, have any Ephesians chosen in him before the foundation of the world? And pretty much the same thought I think as election, but many others might be able to help out.
With the family secret, isn't it uh.
Umm elect according to the foreknowledge of God and the Father, God had his eye upon us.
In the past eternity and as mentioned.
Umm, the work of Christ, uh, was, umm, was going to be accomplished.
Uh, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God through would accomplish that work that would, would bring us into, uh, into that place of, uh, blessing, but.
Election is not to be, not a hindrance to preaching the gospel. Uh, we shouldn't look upon it that way. Uh, Doctor Wolston puts it, you see, on the outside of the door, whosoever will may come.
And when you get, uh, when you come inside, you see the inscription, the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
So we we do not know who the elect are.
Nor do we need to we we are to preach the gospel to every creature and.
And, uh, there's, there's no hindrance there to, uh, to anyone. We, we can tell the violent offender that we meet that there is salvation and offer to him.
But it is, uh, uh, something to comfort our hearts once we, uh, have been brought to the knowledge of, uh, Christ the savior. Is that right there? Yes. I've heard the, umm, the, the capsule. Can I put it that way? That, uh, fits to me that we can easily remember.
Election is God's selection.
The election is selection.
We go back to uh.
John 17 again.
Uh, same chapter that, uh, what we were.
In verse 24 I've done 17.
Where Jesus refers.
To.
They also whom thou hast given me.
And I like to think of it this way that.
It wasn't as if.
God look forward and said well.
These people here are going to come to me and they're going to, they're going to accept what I what I'm going to offer.
So I'll choose them. I don't believe it's that at all. None of us would have accepted in our own selves. None of us would have come.
So that's that's the word, the word Jesus. God wanted to have a bride for the word Jesus forever.
To be with him and and and the father's house. So he so he chose he chose certain ones to be part of that right and by by that alone.
We are part of that process. We picked this up and chosen to save us by the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
I had nothing to do with it. I would have refused it but.
The word chose me anyway and because he wanted to have lessons, so he gave us. He wanted to have a bribe for his son.
For the Lord Jesus and he. And so we are the recipients of that amazing salvation.
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That amazing plant we're we're part of that price we've been given by the father to the sons.
You have Robert in that chapter, John 17, seven times over that expression, those whom thou hast given me so much did the Lord Jesus in that prayer before going to the cross, value the gift that God had given to him. That is you and me so much to evaluate that he was willing to go and lay down his life.
For us.
Brethren for us.
He loved you and he loved me and he prized us.
Those whom thou has given me, that thee be with me where I am forever.
All that we may enter into it more, we get so taken up with time and sense, but think of it that forever we're going to be in the presence of A1 and he's going to continue to love us forever.
And we understand it.
That's an advocate the responsibility of man, However, umm, man is a responsible creature judged on that based on and we preach the gospel, not as as mentioned, not knowing the uh.
The counsels of God in regard to those that we meet.
That we present the the message of salvation to responsible creatures, and they will be judged according to their their, their.
Uh, attitude toward Christ and toward the message that, uh, is presented to them.
So, umm, I think it's important to see that and, uh.
The Among the early brethren there was a lot of written ministry on this subject.
Especially if you read Mr. Macintosh is writing piece wrongly objected to, uh, to bringing election into the preaching of the gospel in any way for anyone to say. Now I'm not sure if I am elected or not.
This year he refuted. We do not know, uh, who the elect are again, I say. And so we preach the gospel to whosoever and that we know God's grace has met us in our deep need and we're no better than others and it comes into.
I was thinking that's the the whole meaning, isn't it? The seasons two and eight by grace are you say through faith and that does yourself if it's done. And I was thinking about comments on how there may be someone who might say to you, well, I don't know if I'm going to be elected to me. All you have to do is tell them to believe God and you're wanting to be alleged.
You can be sure.
2nd year.
Three.
Where is that what John was saying?
Second Peter 3, verse 9.
The word is not quite concerning as promises come then count classes, but as long-suffering to less work, not willing that any, but they're all just come to reciprocity.
Well that's those are sound the same but.
That we need to preach the gospel to all.
And that and that is his.
As well, and he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come through.
So umm, it's it's unto all.
I just wanted to say that this verse that we're looking at was always a bit of a puzzle to me. I didn't quite understand it, but I just want to share what I've enjoyed. You'll notice at the beginning of this verse, we have election brought out and then it says through through sanctification of the Spirit because we have been chosen because we are His.
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The Spirit of God now has set us apart, hasn't he? And uh, what's the end that's in view? I believe it's what we have in the end of the verse unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. That was always a puzzle to me as just exactly what he was saying. But if you turn back to Exodus chapter 24.
Exodus chapter 24 and verse 7. This is when the law was given.
It said he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people and they said all that the Lord had said we will do and be obedient. So they were promising here, obedient, but simply on the basis of their own, uh, energy. It wasn't in the energy of the spirit at all. And it says the next verse, Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people.
In other words, he ratified what they had said. They said we're going to be obedient. And Moses said, all right, we'll clarify that. So he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people. Well, in our chapter, I think that's what Peter is referring to. He says we've been set apart, we've been sanctified by the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. In other words, the Spirit of God.
Desires that we would go on in obedience, uh, because now we are under the shelter of the blood. We, the blood has been sprinkled. We belong to the Lord Jesus and now he desires us to walk in obedience. So I just suggest that as, uh, perhaps what Peter is trying to say in this verse.
Would you say, Stan, that, umm, when Israel said that back in the 24th of of Exodus that they really were accepting death and the penalty?
If they broke the law, they said all that the Lord our God has said we will do.
That's quite a steep and, uh, what happened whenever we put ourselves on the ground of doing something, what happened, we failed. But Peter here in this verse, he's telling us the only ground on which we really can have redemption, which was through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
He's saying basically to the Jews, you and I failed in our responsibility.
But there's one who didn't fail, and that is the only ground on which we have title to the glory of God.
Is that the? Yes, I believe that's correct.
That sanctification here, uh, it took place in our, in our history, we might say, before we actually came into the knowledge of sins forgiven. The Spirit of God began a work in our souls setting us apart even before we obeyed the gospel that we had heard and before the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Before we were, we were saved, the Spirit of God was working in our souls and, uh, sanctification means, uh, separation.
The Jew was he was set apart by the external ordinances that he went through it, that he had under the Judaistic system, that that was the means of sanctification for him. But that's not the means for us now. It is something that is the work of the Spirit of God to separate us even before we had believed the gospel.
And then, uh, our work that continues.
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In.
US, uh, after we have believed an ongoing work, sanctification, of course, sanctification is spoken of in two ways that we probably realized it is spoken of in the absolute sense.
And it is also spoken of in the progressive sense.
Umm, which is brought out in, uh, in in other scriptures.
I really love the, uh, the third verse that, uh, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ and according to his abundant mercy that the begotten hospital again on our lot of hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from your death. I'd just like to make an initial comment here of this, uh, blood that God's father for allergies of Christ. Get that in several places and that's easy. Ephesians chapter one. It wasn't either God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who blessed us with all heavenly blessed.
Or with all the spiritual blessings and have my faces. But when you look back at the Old Testament, one of my favorite places is.
Joe in chapter 32 and.
Such a such a lovely picture of, of our of our Savior and.
Even the first verse. Well, the second verse.
No 32 and verse 2.
Because it had all these wrong spots and, uh, both the stalls, the precision and all these things and, and their self righteousness and the whole thing that goes along with the, the Lord teaches us. And uh, uh, Ben was kind of the wrath of Elijah, the son of Varico, the buzz light of the kindred of Graham against Joe was his Brad Kindle because he's justified himself rather than God.
Again, uh, also against his three friends.
And I was just thinking how the, you know, how the, they always came to the Lord and, you know, you showed them who he was and who he was, but they, they were still very angry because.
During the season saying, who is this man that calls himself God? He may accuse him of blasphemy and everything else as we know. And uh, finally they just reject him so badly. But I just love Eli, who, umm, he's an ancestor of Samuel. So you can see the election there. You know, he chose me for the foundation of the world. He comes on the scene so unexpectedly and without any fanfare or whatever.
But he was.
He was elected.
To be who he was and so he was the the son of Barracl. Now Barrichel means God has blessed and it just reminds me of those Bruce.
But anyway, Eli, who means that.
Umm, God he is and uh, that's who he is. He is God, Lord Jesus Christ, God the Psalm. And uh, I was just thinking he was, uh, he was, he was a buzz eye.
But anyway, he was a kindred of ram and ram means high elevated.
Oh, so that Ram, it's also Ramon and uh, A and uh, AH.
In the scriptures, but uh, today it's been twisted and the, uh, Islam calls it Ram Allah, but that's the same place, you know? And uh, but it's such a loving picture when you see in the past.
By looking at the Old Testament and all the local things that are there, all the grace and mercy and.
Blessed against it belongs to us because of his.
The penalty that he paid per hour as soon as we were depressed? Blood.
We have the Trinity brought in in the second verse here, all engaged on our behalf. You have the.
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Called her father Dad.
Then the Spirit of God working in the soul, bringing us to Christ.
And now in Christianity, we have the.
A wonderful relationship, a father not knowing to the Jews in the Old Testament, they did not have the knowledge of God in that character. But as we know this scripture well, in John 20, the Lord spoke to Mary Magdalene. I ascend unto my Father and your father, and to my God and your God. This is characteristic of Christianity, knowing God in that relationship.
Of bothered umm, one that actually the same relation as Christ as man has before gone now is the is the position that we have been brought into.
Uh, in the same relationship, uh.
And so, umm, of course we don't share deity, but uh, we can address God in that character of Father that is peculiar to this dispensation in which we, we are now found. It will not be sold in the, uh, in the Millennium. It was not so in the Old Testament, but now we have that marvelous relationship of knowing God in that intimate way.
As our father, one who is interested in all the details of our pathway down here. Is that right? See so.
Says in Deuteronomy, you are the sons.
Of, uh, Speaking of Israel as a nation and turn back to that and I just put my finger on it.
Now, Israel didn't know God as Father, but uh.
To them pertain the adoption nationally and uh.
In chapter 14 of Deuteronomy.
It says, uh, to children of the Lord your God, our sons of the Lord your God, you shall not cut yourselves nor make any boldness between your eyes for the dead and so on, and the things that they should even not eat. And so the Lord Jesus Christ here is the eternal Son was here for the Father's pleasure and the Father's delight and his obedience was perfect even to death, the best of the cross.
But we're here in that relationship to God. The Father is chosen of God into obedience too.
Who's obedient? The blood and the obedience are both Christ. I believe in this verse as we have been brought into under the shelter of that blood sprinkled and blood onto his obedience, that we might have the same obedience that He had here for the Father's pleasure and the Father's delight in this world and.
As here and as the obedient one. What the life the Father had the heavens open. This is mine well, beloved Son, upon him.
All in the Old Testament, as we had, that the people were sprinkled with the blood to obedience as well. And God desired of Israel nationally that they would be a people here for Him in that same way in obedience to His will. But they failed completely because that was the test of land in the flesh and there wasn't a life in them. Not that we don't see it in individuals, but as a people there wasn't that new life.
That desire to please, it's that old nature that wanted its own way. And there was no ability to please God. They weren't involved by the Spirit of God. And so now we come to the New Testament through the work of Christ and what has been brought out, the sovereign election of God. He has chosen a people to be here.
In relation to himself, his father, and to be here in obedience, that he might look down and find pleasure and his own.
But he's accomplished it in time, chosen in the past. And just incidentally, it's not that Hefore knew what would happen. He didn't, but he foreknew who person. He foreknew us as person, not just that certain persons would have take certain actions. It's not that Hefore knew we would come to Christ. Hefore knew us and chose us.
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But in time, he accomplished it.
Have begotten us again unto a living hope. How He's imparted to us a life, a life that wants to lose Him. And He's given to us the Spirit as the energy and power to walk in that new life. And please, whose life is it? The life of Christ.
You know, brother, that's so lovely. You know, he, he suffered, you know, and, uh, uh.
I was thinking of a verse in, uh, Ephesus chapter 5 and, umm, when I first read this verse, I took me for a loop. You know, I just, uh, uh, what? There's no reason why I have to work. What is it anyway? And, uh, the way we read it in the King James, it's, uh, it might, uh, sound a little bit difficult, but I'll, I'll read it and umm, uh.
Verse 8. Umm.
Hebrews 5 verse eight, though he were a son, yet He learned the obedience by the things which he suffered. It sounds like it's saying there that day He learned to be obedient by his suffering, but we learned to be obedient by our suffering. But he learned what it was like to suffer because he was obedient and he couldn't get anything else covered. It was impossible because he he was sinless. He was sinless.
Like no brother put it, he learned the cough of obedience.
No question as two is obedience perfection but he learned experimentally the suffering, the cost of obedience. He was in the place of obedience. He wasn't in that place in the past eternity. It was his to command, not to obey. So when he took manhood into.
The union of himself.
He was in the place of.
Dependence and obedience as a man example for us. I was thinking in our verse here, just to, uh, caution here, the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. There was no thought that that is continuing on through the life of the believer. There's some that have that wrong idea that after they fail, the, the blood has to be sprinkled again. That's not the thought.
The blood is only applied once.
To the believer, it puts us in a new position before God. It is northeast. It is not applied again. Uh.
It has the eternal efficacy and we are cleansed once and for all. This is brought out very clearly in the epistle of Hebrews, of course. And the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ is that conversion here, sprinkling. Notice it wasn't only the fact that the blood had been shed in in the basin referring to Exodus 12. It had to be sprinkled. It had to be applied. Many people believe in the death of Christ in Halifax.
But they have never taken the hyssop and uh, and sprinkled the blood had it applied to their own need as a Sinner. They have never taken hold of that hyssop in humility and self judgment. So just to note that brethren, that the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ only takes place once. Now there is the thought of, of washing the water by the Word during our pathway down here. We need that every day of our lives.
But uh, not another application of the blood.
Uh, Brother John, I made a lot of contact with the Christians earlier in my uh.
In my uh, uh, life, umm, in my new life, that umm.
When they send they would tell me what they they would say. I plead, I feed it for the blood of Christ, you know, and even back then.
That was before I was gathered towards England.
Usually something's terribly wrong with that, but I couldn't figure it out until later years. But, uh, when it was revealed to me, but they, they always say, you know, there's something wrong with you, like if you're sick or something, they say, well, believe the blood of Christ, you know, plead the blood of Christ. It just seems to be, go along with what you're saying.
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There's a lot of thoughts out there about it now.
Wrong. Uh, wrong.
I'd like to go back to verse one, umm, because we started out with an apostle being sent. We are not apostles, but the Lord has sent us into the world and.
But before he could send us into the world, we had to be chosen. There had to be something that happened in our lives to make us fit to be sent one and back. In Ephesians chapter one we talked about election again or being chosen and what are we chosen to what are we chosen for? Ephesians one verse four says he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy.
And without blame before him in love.
And then it goes down to verse six, that we've been chosen to the praise of the glory of his grace.
We've been chosen to be holy and without blame. We've been chosen to give glory to God. How are we going to do that?
Where are we sent? Are we sent to the meeting every Sunday and then back to our job on Monday?
What? What is? What is our purpose here in this world? Our purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus. How do we do that? Well, we glorify Him when we come to the meetings like this too. But we can also glorify Him in service. The Lord didn't send us into the world for worship. We come into His presence for worship.
We go out with his presence for service and he sends us. And if you look over in First Corinthians chapter 5, Second Corinthians chapter 5.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and it talks in verse 17 of being a if any man be in Christ is a new creature and as new creatures we are sins and it says in verse 18 all things are God with reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us. That's just not one or two evangelists and this is to us to all the believers the ministry of reconciliation.
To it that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. So we have been made ambassadors for Christ. We have a responsibility to do. We've been sent into the world to preach forth the reconciliation of the ministry of reconciliation.
What is that? It's the gospel. We're reconciled to God by the death of his Son. We we preach the gospel, but before we can do that we were made holy without blame before him in love. And in in our chapter in first Peter one and verse three, it talks about being begotten again.
Verse two we talked about the Lord Jesus, His obedience.
And the sprinkling of his blood, that's the very nature of who He is. And we've been begotten with that new life, the life of Christ. It's a holy life, a spotless life. It's an obedient life. And it's a life that wants to do, wants to be obedient. And it's not obedience to the law. It's not obedience to try and keep the commandments to maintain our salvation. No, it's obedience to the will of God. We have a desire.
It's more than a want to to be obedient.
It's the very nature of that new life to be obedient. And if, if there's evidence in my life of obedience to Christ, obedience to the will of God, that's evidence of, of life. And so we have been, we have been sanctified, we've been set apart for the service of the Lord. But before that can take place, we need to have that blood sprinkled and the death of Christ.
And his life applied to our own hearts by salvation.
The enjoyment of Christ in our souls will have a powerful effect on those around.
But I think that's why we find that the most most of the epistles that are positioned in Christ is brought before us before our walk is brought before us. God would have us to to enter into.
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What He has done and giving his Son into his humbling to think, brethren, of what He has done and raised us up to make us sit together in heavenly places, and then what He give us.
He tells us about how to walk in view of the position that we are brought into. There are many ways to preach the gospel to people around us. You can talk to people, you can give out tracks, and there are other ways as well. And that's letting your light shine where you are. When the light shines, it doesn't make any noise. And I'm not saying not to make any noise, but I am saying that the Scripture says to let your life die.
And the way I walk through this world is being observed by others around.
When you look at the at the first, uh, 5 verses of our chapter.
There is absolutely nothing there about what we have, what you and I have done.
Or supposed to do.
There's, it's, it's totally what God has done for us.
Or I shouldn't say for us first for the for his own glory and for the glory of the Lord Jesus and for our for our blessings absolutely from the first word right down of the chapter right to the end of verse 5.
Umm, even verse five, we are kept not by not by what I do, but we're kept by the power of God. And so then verse six says, wherein he greatly rejoice.
I think that bears out what David was just saying. Are we rejoicing in those in what God has done in those first five verses?
Umm, if we are.
Truly rejoicing and what God has done and what he has given us, then we will be rejoicing and we will be shining, I should say, and, and anything that we do or say or even just the way we, the way we act before our neighbors and those at work and so on.
Uh will show should show that we are enjoying what God has done.
I was thinking of the ambassadors in those verses that that Tim referred to, an ambassador represents the country that he comes from in another country. So it's, uh, I can use an example, Steve, if you don't mind, if you're as an American, if you were sent as an ambassador to the candidate, you would go to Ottawa and, uh, and represent the United States.
And Canada and it's, uh, April was sent as an ambassador to, uh, Washington.
We don't represent Canada there in the US.
You wouldn't always do a lot of talking, but but everything that everything that an ambassador does should reflect.
What he does or says, the way he acts to reflect the thoughts of his own country, policy and so on. Well, if we're to represent the word, we're to represent the word Jesus in this world, not always by talking and saving the same.
Although certainly should include that one in the word directions, but just to represent.
The Lord Jesus Christ in this world for those around us.
I'd just like to make a little, uh, illustration of what you're saying. And I'm absolutely, I'm not boasting in any way, shape or form, but I used to work in a place, uh, for 14 years and when I get done, all of them there and they knew what I was, you know, but I had the opportunity to go back. Umm, it must be what, 18 years ago now. And, umm.
I worked with these two young men, you know, and I was working with them for three days and finally I, I noticed there were curfews, swearing or they weren't, They were losing their temper and acting like all the other guys over there. And so at the break time, I said to them, I said, well, umm, I'll come and do you guys don't, you're not cursing me, but swearing or anything, isn't it? I was sick on fishing, you know, they said to me, well, what about you? I said what?
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We're born again believers like you. And I said, well, how did you know? I was, you know, And I said, well, the guys here that he used to work with told us. I never knew they thought of him like that, you know, I said I was unaware of it. It just was a real joy to my soul to hear that, you know?
But it was nothing to do with me. It was all got to do with the Lord. I would change it.
Let your light so shine before men, they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Wasn't crazy anymore but someone thought I was religious crazy but I didn't. I didn't speak to anyone.
It works.
And the apostle breaks out here in the doxology verse three, Blessed, these are gods and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Uh, which according to his abundant mercy, we are the recipients of mercy.
In a large measure, we, we haven't got what we deserve. It was internal banishment from God's presence and judgment. That was what we deserved, each one of us. But the mercy of God reached down to where we were abundant mercy have begotten us again unto a lively or a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the death. Well, Paul, uh, Peter uses the word living often. He was told that.
He confessed Christ as the, uh, as the living stone there and, uh.
He uses the word living often in the second chapter he speaks of living stones. Now, uh, we have that, that new light, we're, we're born again with it, divine light. We have a hope that doesn't mean that uncertainty.
But we have a living hope in contrast to what Israel, they they had a whole too, but it's, you know, it, they lost it all because of their disobedience and it faded away before them, their inheritance. They never came into it. They defiled the land when they got into it. But ours is the living hope that is we have something sure, and certainly the glory and.
Something we can look forward to.
It's all based upon the work of Christ, and his resurrection is brought in here, resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. He's now a living man in the glory, and we are associated with him now.
By the grace of God.
I think, John, that the, uh thought of living whole viruses as a question is it is it the.
Is it the alive in my life in such a way that I'm thinking of it as as a something that really could take place at any moment? Is that the thought? I I think so.
It's something that is real and.
Optimized and remarked that Hulk and scripture is a deferred certainty. It's not a it's not a we use the word Hulk in English often to as a connotation of some dealt there, but not to not so in scripture. It's it's a it's a certainty that we haven't come into the fulfillment of it yet, but it is a living hope. It is something that that should motivate us on in our pathways.
Down here.
Look at First John chapter 3 to.
See a scripture for that product.
First John, chapter 3.
Verse Two Beloved now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is drug. It's a purifying covenant. It's a not wanting to be caught doing something that displeasing to the Lord when he comes.
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To put it soon again.
Can anything uh 200 and 56256?