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Umm.
And 2400 and 200 and.
Get very far in first Peter one yesterday, but are hymns that we just sang seems to suggest we start at verse 3.
First Peter chapter one and verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that faded 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 ye greatly rejoice go now for a season if need be you're in heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perish us though it be tried with fire might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Whom having not seen ye love, in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, Who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you?
00:05:12
Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify.
When it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.
Under whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they administer 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.
We're for gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought under you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedience, children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts. And you're ignorant, but as he which has called you is holy, so be ye holy.
In all manner of conversation, because it is written, be holy.
For I am holy.
Did you call on the Father who, without respect of persons, judge us according to every man's work past the time of your sojourning here in fear?
For as much as you know that you are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your Father's.
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who barely was foreordained before the foundation of the world.
What was manifest in these last times for you who by Him do believe in God?
That raised him from the dead and gave him glory to your faith and hope might be in God.
Seeing you have purified your souls, and obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren.
See that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently.
Being born again, not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
We're all flashes as grass, all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass wither it, and the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever.
And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.
Mentioned yesterday, this epistle is addressed to Jewish believers. Those who had come from a Jewish background, had received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, and not only so through persecution, had been scattered from their homes throughout the known world at that time, and they had lost everything in a temporal way, and it must have been a great comfort to them now, as the apostle Peter writes to them of this hope.
Hopes, as someone has said, is an indispensable quality of life, and for the Jew, their hope within the Messiah. But they had killed their Messiah, they had crucified him. And so as far as earthly hope at that time, that was finished.
But now the apostle Peter can bring before them a hope that is really out of this world.
And it's a living hope. It's not a dead hope, but it's a living hope because it's based on the fact that the Lord Jesus had not only died on the cross, but that he had risen again.
And brethren, I believe this is something that we all need to get a hold of Indiana, our souls more and more.
Is to realize that what sets Christianity apart from, if I can put it this way, all the other so-called great religions of the world is that we have a living hope and we have a living Savior.
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Every other religion boasts of someone who's in the tomb. Mohammed is in the tomb. People will spend great amounts of money and at great sacrifices to themselves to visit the tomb of Mohammed. But Buddhist in the tomb, Confucius is dead. We have a tomb as well. But across that tomb is written. He is not here, he is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay. Because if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain, and ye are still in your sins.
And we need to tenaciously hold on to the truth of the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus, because there have been those down through the ages who have taught that the Lord only rose in spirit. That is a false teaching. When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, He remained on earth long enough to give ample and complete testimony to His own that He had risen from the dead bodily. He said, Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone as ye see me have. So what a wonderful thing it must have been for these believers.
And for you and for me to realize that now they had a living hope based on a living savior.
And they had now an inheritance that could never be taken away. They'd lost everything earth in, in an earthly way. The inheritance was gone. And uh, now, but now they could hold, hold on to something that was reserved for them and something that is we're going to see they were going to be preserved for as well.
Is based on the truth that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, and when he rose from the dead, he rose in the power of a life that can no longer die. Death has no longer any dominion over him. There were those that were raised before the Lord from the dead, but they all died again.
But now we have a hope that is based on resurrection life, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He is the first fruits of them that slept, and when He rose, He rose in the power of a life that death can no longer touch. To me that is the most wonderful thing. And it's interesting if you want to even set aside the testimony of Scripture. Even human history designates one of the most well established facts.
Is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is a historical fact, and so beautiful, brethren, to know that that's where our hope is based on the Lord's resurrection in that life of that new life, resurrection life.
Death can touch our bodies, but it cannot touch the life we have within these bodies. It's resurrection life, and it will never die.
Open this context. It's never uncertainty, is it? Hope in this life is always uncertainty at best. Hope connected with the 1St man, hope connected with the circumstances down here. It's always uncertainty. So we hope after these meetings are over to return to our homes and so on. But if we sat here this afternoon, this morning and said beyond a shadow of a doubt, Stephen and Carol would return to Vestal and Jim would return to Smith's Falls and so on.
We'd say, well, that's presumptuous things come in to, uh, frustrate our hope and some of the plans we've made in our lives, they've never come to fruition as carefully as we planned and laid, laid them out. But it's interesting when, uh, the apostle writes to the Jewish believers in the book of Hebrews, he speaks of their hope there as well. And he says it's a sure and a steadfast hope, only hope connected with Christ.
And the next World can be referred to as sure and steadfast. Here it's in connection with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
But I believe in Hebrews it takes us even a step further because if we were to notice and we won't take time to turn to it.
But the end of Hebrews 6, where he talks about that sure and steadfast hope there is. Sure and steadfast not only because the Lord Jesus has risen from the dead, but he's gone back to the Father, He's gone back to heaven.
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And our forerunner is there, and the fact that he's a forerunner, Christ is a forerunner entering into the presence of God.
Denotes that there has to be after runners. Who's that? That's you and me at his coming. And so we have the resurrection here. A living hope in Hebrews it sure and steadfast. And again it's written to Jewish believers. But of course for you and for me and for our encouragement and certainty as well. Isn't it wonderful, brethren, that Christianity links us with Christ in resurrection and ascension? And that's why we often say that in Christianity.
Our hopes and our goals and our aspirations are not connected with this world in any way. We're a heavenly people. As we said yesterday, we're set apart as a heavenly people. The cross of Christ has severed our ties with this world. Paul said, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
We have nothing to do with this world, brethren, except the fact that we're still physically here and have to operate from day-to-day. But as far as our hopes and goals and aspirations, we're connected with a risen, ascended and glorified Christ.
Pulling this verse, uh three to see how it corresponds with Ephesians 1/3. The first verses. Our first words of the verse are exactly the same. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and God is so beautiful. We have been brought into the knowledge of God. Like our brother was saying last night in the gospel, we can say that we.
Know God, amazingly wonderful thing. And how do you know Him?
Well, we know Him first as God, but then we are brought into the family of God by being born into His family, which He mentions here He is begotten us again. This is new birth and that's why it says again, because we have been born once into this world and now we are born again into the family of God. At the end of the chapter it mentions that in verse.
23.
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. First time I was born, I was born of corruptible seed. And that's why you get aches and pains in your body, you get diseases sometimes and my hair is turned white. Why is that corruptible seed? But I have a life that can never get old.
It is resurrection life. I've been born again into God's family, and so we have been brought to know God as Father. It's interesting, when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, he sent Mary Magdalene to speak to his disciples and to say unto them, Behold, I send to unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God and your God. Why is it that order?
Because for the Lord Jesus, from all eternity, his relationship was with his Father.
He was gone, but when he became Incarnate, then he could say my God. And that's why it says in Psalm 22, Thou art my God from my mother's belly. As soon as he became Incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary, he could say, my God. I think that is so beautiful. The perfection of Scripture. Oh brother. And we have been brought into the knowledge of God and now in Christianity as fathers was mentioned yesterday.
In the Old Testament, they knew him as the Almighty, they knew him as Jehovah and a number of other names that we have in the Old Testament. But is there anything so intimate, so amazing as to be able to look up into the heavens and say the God of the universe is my father? I can say ABBA father in that tremendous thing. It's so amazingly wonderful, brother, and we've been brought into.
The family of God. And so he says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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At the end of that, uh, chapter one, we see how the apostle Paul, he prays for the Ephesians and what is his prayer in verse 18, Ephesians 118 The eyes of your understanding, being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints.
And.
What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us? For who believe according to the working of his mighty power? Martin says the might of his power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead.
And so on.
So I believe in our chapter we have brought before us the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I don't know of any power in the universe that is greater than resurrection power.
And your pastor Paul desired that the Saints might have their eyes enlightened to understand and appreciate something of this power. Well, we have power in our chapter. It tells us in verse five that we are kept by the power of God. So this is the same power that raised Christ from the dead, that keeps us, that guards us, and that's gonna bring us home to glory as it tells us in dispersed.
Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. So the salvation in this chapter is not only the salvation of our souls, but the salvation of our bodies and the Lord Jesus.
Is about to return and we're gonna be caught up in our bodies. It tells us we're gonna be changed.
And we're gonna be fashion like his own body of glory, and we're gonna enter on this inheritance. And there it is. It hasn't been corrupted or defiled. It hasn't faded away or diminished in the lease. And there it is reserved for us in heaven. So grace for the pathway leads to glory.
And the power of God, they would just think about it and realize that this is the power that is at our disposal.
And this is how God keeps us day by day, by his power.
It's wonderful in that verse in Ephesians, those verses in Ephesians when it talks about the power of God in resurrection.
Ball just seems to run out of adjectives and talking about it, it is far greater than the power of God in creation. And the power of God in creation is incredible, so much so that none of us can comprehend it. But the power of resurrection is a totally different sphere we're talking about. And this is the power that now works both towards us and if you look in chapter 3.
Of Ephesians it works in US who believes so it's it's the power of God. Wonderful how it's working for us and in US knowing Christ and the power of resurrection in Philippians 3 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection because it's been said that's the power for our lives, isn't it now and it's interesting that we don't have a scripture that would teach us to pray for power.
And Paul didn't pray that the Ephesians would have more power or that he would have more power himself. What did he pray? That their eyes would be opened, That they would see and avail themselves of the power that was already at their disposal. And brethren, we don't have to pray for power today. What we need to do is get before the Lord and be exercised that we would appreciate and avail ourselves of the power that's at our disposal, because this power is for every St. of God.
It doesn't matter if you got saved last night or you've been saved for 75 years. That power is available to you if you will avail yourself of it. And that's why it's, I think we alluded to yesterday, when we get home to heaven and we stand before the Lord Jesus, we'll have no excuse for any failure, for any discouragement, for any giving up in our lives.
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There's provision for it, of course, but there is no excuse for it because all the power that we need.
Is at our disposal, but I want to ask a question here as we move along. What is the inheritance? He speaks of this inheritance here and I would suggest it's a little different than our blessings, but maybe we could have some explanation on it.
And addressed in Ephesians one as well. We go back to Ephesians 1.
It says in verse three he has blessed us with.
All or every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.
Their spiritual blessings because they're not blessings that can be seen with the physical eye. Just to give you an example, in verse seven it says we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Brother Jim, do you have forgiveness of sins? Can you show me some document please that shows me that you have that?
Well, how do you know you have it? Basis of the word of God and faith. That's right, exactly. And so it's a spiritual blessing that you can't show people but that you possess by faith. And so there are those spiritual blessings that you cannot see with the human eye, but they're very real. And so those verses in Ephesians one take up from verses 3 down through perhaps we can say verse.
8:00 and 9:00.
There are spiritual blessings. But now notice in verse 10 of Ephesians one, it says that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth. Even in Him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
So there we have the inheritance mentioned and it's when the Lord Jesus takes the Kingdom as is mentioned in the.
The Psalm chapter, Psalm 2, it says, Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession. So the time is going to come when the Lord Jesus is going to come back to this world.
And he's going to take the inheritance, the Father is going to give it to him, and he's going to possess it. That will take place at the end of the great tribulation, when the Lord Jesus physically returns with his people to take the inheritance, and we will inherit it with him. So that's the inheritance. And here in Ephesians, I think we have the inheritance in its widest possible, uh, view. And it's all things which are in heaven.
And which are on earth, every created thing is our inheritance in a certain way. Like you say, Brother Jim, we haven't taken the inheritance yet. We have the Spirit of God, which is the earnest of our inheritance so that we can enjoy it right now, but we don't have the inheritance yet because the Lord Jesus hasn't taken the inheritance. So it's a little different, yes, than the spiritual blessings.
And I wondered why it says in our chapter Reserved in Heaven. I pondered that because as I believe what you say is right, that the inheritance is all created things. But let me use a little illustration that recently helped me to at least understand what I believe is part of the reason it says reserved in heaven.
Recently we had some question about our property title at home. And the piece of property on which our house is built is kind of a bit of a hodgepodge on the corner of a subdivision. And I think the roof of the the eve of the roof of the house beside us overlaps our property line and so on. And so we wanted to look up the deed and some of the papers connected with when we bought that property over 30 years ago. And so I said to my wife, where is the deed? And she said, well, it's safely in the the safety deposit box at the bank.
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It wasn't on the property, it was in the safety deposit box. If I can put it this way, the title deed was reserved somewhere else from where the property is. And so in time we went to the bank with the key to the safety deposit box and sure enough there it was reserved safe in the bank. Concerning our property on which we live, we live and I thought of that in connection with this portion. As we we've said the inheritance is all created things.
And he's going to take it back his right entitle, not only as creator, but in redemption as well. We're going to share it with him. And I believe the fact that the Lord Jesus is now in heaven and holds the title deed to the to the inheritance. And we could go to Revelation four and five and perhaps see that clearly brought out. The title deed is held by the one who accomplished redemption here on earth. It's held as it were in heaven.
Just like our title deed was reserved in the bank for us, and there it is. And is there any question that it's going to be opened and that he's going to take his rightful place in the coming day? No, it's secure. It's sealed there. And as we know from Revelation 5, he's going to be the one and the only one that will be worthy and able to take that deed and open the seals thereof and to come back and to take that inheritance.
But isn't it beautiful, brethren, to think that he's not going to take it until he shares it with us?
Isn't that I? I find that a tremendous thought. We see not yet all things put under him. He does not have his rightful place here in the world yet. He hasn't taken outwardly the inheritance yet.
What's he waiting for? He's waiting to have his bride by his side. He's waiting to have his heavenly people with him. And then when that moment comes, then we're going to come back with him and we're going to share in it. Brethren, why do we want it now?
Why do we want it now? Why do we want things down here? Why do do Christians rise up and want to take take power now and try to bring things into order, bring the governments into order? And I know many of us have been taught that falsely, that we're a moral force to change the world and usher in the Kingdom and bring in righteous government and so on. Brethren, if we try to do that before God's man does it, if I can use a very mundane expression, we're just banging our heads against the brick wall. It's not gonna happen until the Lord.
God's man, the worthy and the able one, opens the seals thereof and comes back to take the inheritance for himself.
There are a few verses I've enjoyed in connection with Peter's own life and the inheritance, and the first one is and. This account is given in several gospels. I just like to look at it into Matthew chapter 19, verse 27.
Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee. What shall we have therefore?
I'd like to turn over to Mark chapter 10 where we get the same account, but I like the answer there, I think, uh, in connection with our portion.
And Mark chapter 10, Here's the Lord's answer, verse 29 Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brother, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the Gospels, but he shall receive 100 fold. Now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands with persecution.
And in the world to come, eternal life.
When Peter asked that question and he said that it was true. Lord, we've left all and followed thee. What shall we have? Therefore, I think that's the same question that the dispersion was asking. We've left all, we've left it all. What are we going to have there for?
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And it's been brought out. Their hopes are in this earth. While the Lord tells Peter, you know, if you follow me, there's an aspect of things in this earth you're going to have and enjoy. And all of us have been brought into a place where we have brothers and sisters in Christ, We have mothers and fathers in Christ. We have homes that are open to us day and night or we're welcome where we're taking care of. I have to say, our younger brethren.
Travel and are cared for in a way that few other groups of Christians are and well fed too, and mothers in abundance and Dutch uncles as needed and so on. So thankful for that that we enjoy. But he says with persecutions for this scene, you know, I don't think Peter hardly would have entered into what that meant. Turn to a verse in First Corinthians 4.
There are several verses.
1St Corinthians 4 and verse 9. For I think that God has set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed unto death.
For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake. For your wise in Christ we are weak, but ye are strong.
You're honorable, but we are despised even unto this present hour. We both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place and labor. Working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless. Being persecuted, we suffer it. Being defamed, we entreat.
We are made as the filth of the world and are the off scouring of all things unto this day in the world with persecutions. The Lord said he knew exactly what Peter was going to go through. Peter didn't. He'd be given strength at the time and Peter brings out the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow and that that's our path to.
And so when he speaks of an inheritance that's laid up in heaven, reserved for you, I really think he's taking in that aspect of the inheritance that concerns our portion in heaven. Paul takes up the inheritance as our brother Jim brought out in his broadest aspect and takes in all creative things. But I think Peter is zooming in on this aspect of it, our portion.
In heaven, not on this earth. And it's reserved there for us and we are reserved for that place. You know, Peter left all, he left his boat and he left his Nets on the day that he got the biggest haul of fishes he had ever had in his career as a businessman. There was a day that was a day like no other day.
You know, it's like the guy selling real estate that sells a $60,000 house one day and a few weeks later sells another, then he sells a $5,000,000 mansion. You know, he just, it was tremendous. He walked away from it all to follow the Lord. Where are those Nets?
Where is that boat? Maybe it had Peter's name on that boat. His business name is gone. It's all gone. But you know, there's a day coming and Revelation brings it out when that new Jerusalem is going to appear. And it has 12 foundations. And in those very foundations are the names, engraving of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.
What an exchange.
From all that he had here.
For what is yet to come? What shall we have? Therefore he hardly knew the persecution that he was going to pass through.
And these dear believers that he's writing to perhaps hardly knew they were beginning to experience it. What shall we have there for? Oh, there's an inheritance laid up in heaven for you. Words can't describe it. It's far beyond anything that could ever be offered in this world. It's worth leaving everything behind.
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Can't lose, can we? And it really threw Paul's persecutors.
It really confounded them, or we say threw them for a loop because after Saul of Tarsus was saved.
They decided to persecute him. Oh, he said, I counted all joy. Oh, they said, we can't give him any joy, so we'll kill him. Oh, to die is gain. I I get promoted. You know, they really didn't know what to do with them. They really had never had somebody like this before. But as Christians, we can't lose. And that's what you brought out here because first of all, the inheritance is reserved for us. But then, as Wally said, we're preserved for the inheritance.
Let me use another little illustration. Let's suppose someone promises you that when they die, they're going to leave you an inheritance, and when I'm gone, this will be yours. But suppose the person in their later years needed assisted care, living and and so on and went. By the time they died, the inheritance was gone. There was nothing left. You lost out. But something else could happen too. Someone could promise you an inheritance, and you could predecease the person.
You weren't reserved for the inheritance. And when they did die, the inheritance had to go to somebody else. But either way, brethren, we can't lose. The inheritance is reserved for us, it's sure. And we're going to be preserved for the inher, for the inheritance. Brethren, if that doesn't thrill our hearts and wean us from earth now, I don't know what goes on within our hearts to realize all that is ahead for us in the heavenly scene when we come back to reign with Christ. Whatever aspect of things you want to take up in connection with the future.
If that doesn't wean us from earth, then I say I don't know what goes on within our heart. I'd like to turn to a verse and type a couple of verses in Titus that bring 2 very important things together in connection with what is future.
In Titus chapter 2.
He says, I'll read from verse 11, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly.
In this present world, our present age, I'll stop there for a moment and just make this comment. Grace here is a teacher and tea. Grace teaches us how to live for Christ in this present age. That's right where we are today. Whether it was Paul writing to Titus, whether it was the days of our forefathers, or whether it's right here where we are near the end of 2018, just before the Lord comes, this is the present age.
And grace teaches us how to live where we're we find ourselves in our history. But then I want to notice this two things. Looking for that blessed hope now, brethren, that I believe is what we are expecting at any moment, Maybe before lunchtime, we'll have the fulfillment of this blessed hope, that sure and steadfast hope. What is that? The Lord Jesus coming at any moment to receive us to himself. But there's another part to our hope.
You know, we often say our the proper hope of the Christian is the Lord's coming forth. That's true, but it's not the whole truth. There's something else that's connected with our blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. And that is more particularly what Peter is occupied with, isn't it? He's looking beyond the Lord's coming for us. He's looking at the appearing, and the appearing is always in connection.
With a day of manifestation, a day of reward, a day when he's going to come back and take his rightful place, we're going to share in all created things with him and so on. And that really is part of our hope as well. And brethren, I believe too, that is what is going to help to give us the proper character of strangers and pilgrims that we spoke of yesterday is to realize that not only is the Lord coming for us at any moment.
But we're going to share in the Kingdom in that glorious appearing in the coming day. And that's why Paul, at the end of his life, he said to Timothy in almost the last words he wrote by inspiration, all those that love his appearing. That's not what we're expecting this morning. His coming. I hope we love that too. I hope we're looking for that too. But do we really love his appearing brethren? The thing that there's a day coming when he's going to have his rightful place.
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And take his inheritance. Do we love that we walk down the streets of Saint Louis or our hometowns or cities? We have to recognize Christ is not outwardly owned now. He's still the song of the drunkard. He's still on the lips of the cursor. But there's a day coming when he's going to have his rightful place. Do we love his appearing? That's what Peter really is bringing before us in his epistles, the time when he's going to appear.
And we're going to have the full salvation. We have the salvation of our souls now, but we're going to have our full deliverance and the salvation of our body, bodies of glory like unto His body of glory, and share in everything that is rightfully His.
That is going to deliver us from materialism, isn't it? And I, I really believe we need to get that before us. I enjoyed what Steve brought out about it being more the heavenly focus here, because brethren, I do believe that what occupies our minds so very much is earth and earthly things. Just stop at the end of the day and ask yourself.
How much of today have I been thinking about heavenly things? I'm afraid it's not even a double digit with me percentage wise. It's it's just, it occupies so much of our thoughts. And if we would compare heavenly things with earthly things rather than it's far beyond any of our capacity to be able to comprehend. And Paul was caught up.
Into the 3rd heaven to see those things he didn't even remember. Did I have my body on or was I out of the body? I cannot tell. It was so tremendously.
Before his soul that he couldn't remember anything about himself. So that I think heavenly blessing and that heavenly portion of the inheritance is far greater.
But it will, if we think of it, we're going to inherit this world as well under the reign of Christ. And I remember a brother in the Dominican Republic that was so occupied with earning material things that we went to visit one time. And it's beautiful where he had his land, extremely beautiful. But we said to him.
You're going to inherit everything in a few short years when the Lord Jesus comes again. Isn't it enough? Which you have already. Why do you want to continue to get more and more and more? It's just really a distraction to you to understanding and enjoying what is truly yours in Christ. And so brethren, it will deliver us from materialism if we are enjoying the fact of.
Our inheritance, that which we will possess when the Lord Jesus takes his rightful place.
Peculiarity of the Christian position is that we're both in Canaan and in the wilderness and in Ephesians we find that we're already seated in the heavenlies, whereas in Peter, as we've been talking about, it's reserved in heaven for us. So it's a a thing that's ahead of us. But you know, I'm so thankful for the ministry of Peter because.
We are in a wilderness. That's the character the world takes on to us. If we have the correct perspective, it becomes a wilderness. But the wilderness is associated with trials. We still have our cattle, we still have our tents, we still have our children, we still have our families. All these are things that were part of the wilderness experience and with our responsibilities that we still bear. Now we can't escape them. And we read as we go on, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. We have two aspects there. We kept by the power of God, but it's through faith. That brings an owl walk as well. Of course, the faith is from him.
Uh, as well, we have to admit that, but it's through faith. There's, uh, there's a sense of responsibility and connection with that. And then not to skip ahead, but there are trials that we face and those trials are real. Umm, it speaks of, yeah, in heaviness and Mr. Davis's grief, there is grief connected with the wilderness and these things that we've been Speaking of encourages. And they lift their eyes up to look Heavenwood, but don't ever suggest they take away.
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The grief, the pain, the suffering connected with the wilderness. They're they're, they're very real that God has a purpose in them for us. And that's where the encouragement is. And then just to change subject a little bit, I was struck as their brother was reading from Ephesians, that speaks of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints. Do we ever stop and think of that?
They his inheritance is in the Saints and the only way I can explain that and these thoughts aren't mine is that.
God, Jehovah God, possessed Israel, the physical land in Israel, through his people, Israel the inheritance connected with created things, and he will possess it through created beings. He will possess his inheritance in the Saints.
Explain to us Brother Nick in verse six it says, ye greatly rejoice, and then it says.
You are in heaviness. Is that possible to greatly rejoice and be heavy at the same time? Absolutely.
I think the wherein you greatly rejoices connected with the things that we've been Speaking of. You know I.
This is a very feeble example, but I recently went back to Australia in anticipation of being with my parents who had not seen in two years was something I greatly rejoiced in. From the point of time I left the terminal in Denver or left home until I went to bed in my brother's house was about 30 hours. 30 hours of traveling, 30 hours of uncomfortable in an economy seat in the airplane there was some minimal.
Grief associated with that but.
That's that's where we are as believers in this world. We we greatly rejoice knowing what we're looking forward to, but meanwhile we are exposed to the the system choose of life in this world here.
An expression in Second Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 10 that I believe answers Bob's question as well. I'll just read it. Second Corinthians 6 verse 10. Paul is Speaking of some of his experiences. And notice this little expression as sorrowful yet always rejoicing. And I think this is helpful because as someone said earlier, we want, we don't want to think that in Christianity we become callous or indifferent.
Or steal ourselves to the circumstances God allows in our lives. The Lord Jesus when he was here was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He wept at the grave of Lazarus. He felt the effects of that sin had brought in. He empathized with those who were going through real trials and difficulties. And so we don't want to, as I say, steal ourselves and feel we need to be above all that. In fact, I believe as Christians.
Our affections and sympathies have been opened in a way that the unbelievers have not. I've sometimes said at the coffin or the grave of a loved one. I believe a believer sorrows deeper than the unbeliever.
Because his affections, her affections, have been opened in a way that theirs have not.
The only difference is they don't grieve or or mourn with despair. It's always with hope and the joy of what is on the other side and and what is is ahead. So sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
And these brethren that Peter was writing to, he wanted to encourage them, as they felt very keenly.
The circumstances they were going through, He wanted them to have the joy of the Lord in their souls.
He wanted them to go through it with rejoicing and another thing he brings before them, not to back up, but ready to be revealed in the last time.
Go to a verse in, in uh, Second Thessalonians, and I find this a tremendous verse and a tremendous encouragement to my own soul. Speaking of the day when the Lord Jesus comes back, heaven opens up to reveal him, coming in power and glory, crowned with many diadems whose right it is to reign and so on. And notice what it says in verse ten of Second Thessalonians chapter one.
When he shall come, that's his appearing.
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To be notice this glorified in this thing and to be admired in all them that believe I'm going to skip the italics in that day. Now in that day is always connected with the appearing and when he comes brethren and the world looks up and they see the Lord Jesus coming in power and glory. The one that they cast out and said we will not have him. They're not only going to see Christ coming in power and glory.
But brethren, we're gonna be revealed with them. Think of it. And when the world looks up and they see Christ coming in power and glory, wherever they look, they're gonna see Christ. He's coming to be glorified in his Saints. You know, we ought to glorify Christ in our bodies now and in our lives and so on. But I can only point the finger at my own heart and say sometimes the pretty clouded picture, they don't always see Christ manifest in my life like they ought.
But it throws my soul to think that the day is coming.
When they haven't opened up and they look at you, they look at me, and wherever they look, they see Christ, brethren, he's coming to be revealed in his Saints, coming to empower and glory. And again, that that is given to encourage us that whatever little sacrifice or thing we might think, we give up now to follow the Lord, whatever little. And we don't know anything about persecution much really like many of our brethren do in other parts of the world today, but whatever we feel we've sacrificed or given up to follow the Lord.
What is it, brethren, in comparison to that day of Revelation? Christ and His people coming and that glory, the glory of His Person shining through every St. of God. Tremendous, isn't it?
To what we're doing for him it's what he's doing in US and that's what we have in verse 7, isn't it that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perish it through though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So it's when he.
He comes again, it will be with what He was working in us through the trials of the way. Sometimes we bring problems on ourselves. But brethren, God is so great in His grace that He takes even the trials that we bring on Himself to work what He has purposed for us from that past eternity.
There's a couple of things in the six. It says, though, now for a season, and I can't say in my life that I've had many trials, but it's good to be reminded when we're going through a trial that it's for a season. There's a time limit on it. And then secondly, it says if need be, you know, Job, it's a great mistake of Job's friends was to try to figure out why Job was suffering and they were sure that it was because he had some secret sin in his life.
We make 2 mistakes often in our own lives and with the lives of others. One trying to figure out why a person is going through something and the up or or in the case of ourselves, what it is that we've done. That God is putting us through something and all the focus comes on ourselves. What God would have us in trials is to turn the focus to Him. And that's really what Eli who did in Job's case. He turned his thoughts from himself to look upward. That's all all he did. He couldn't answer the question either as to why.
Job went through a trial. Job was a righteous man, but there was and needs to be in his life. Uh, in connection with my comments, we've often heard the three PS the why God allows trials in our life. They're preventative, positive, umm, punitive, and I always forget one, umm.
Preparative, thank you. And we always tend to focus on the punitive. We always tend to focus on the punitive, but God allows lives, uh, trials in our lives for various reasons. But, and, and in Job's case, that's what his friends were doing, looking for a punitive reason why Job was suffering. There was a need to be in Job's life, but it wasn't for punitive reasons. And so there are needs fees in our life and God allows trials in. Umm, it's interesting. We're just being going through some, you know.
Sunday school Bible reading and the meeting back in Englewood and went through some 11 and it says there.
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Uh.
Verse five The Lord triath the righteous.
But the wicked in him that loveth violence is so haters, the Lord trieth the righteous and so we have needs bees and God allows those trials in our life. The second thing, another thing to remember I'm not counting them here, but another thing to remember in connection with trials is that we don't the metallurgist doesn't try base metals in the fire. He tries gold and so we're going through a trial is because God sees value in US. We're gold. It's not because we're base metal.
So he tries not to prove that there is faith.
But he tries like gold is purified in the fire, to bring out its qualities. Because.
Faith trusts God and that glorifies God, and so it's found to praise and honor and glory because trusting God glorifies God. And so the needs be is.
Think of many things, but I think primarily the needs be is to bring out the qualities.
Of faith and the believer because it's for God's glory. That's really what you have with the blind man in John 9. You know the disciples when they came to brought the blind man to the Lord, they said who has sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind. You know, we were bringing out what you say, Nick at a conference on another continent recently and uh, a sister came to me after and she said to me she said it's interesting what was ministered because she said.
My father, his whole life tried to figure out why the Lord allowed trials in every other Saints life and he ended up miserable. But since that was a very interesting observation. But it's interesting when the Lord answered the disciples in John 9 as to why this trial had been allowed in this man's life, he first of all said neither this man nor his parents, and then he gave the reason that the works of God might be manifest in him. Isn't that interesting? It was really as you say, Brother Steve, in the end.
That glory was going to be brought to the Lord Jesus and to God in the healing of this man.
And so we tend to judge why things are allowed in others lives. Now I do believe when the Lord allows trial in our lives, it's good to get into the presence of the Lord and to seek the Lord's. The reason why the Lord has allowed this in my life. And maybe there is some sin in my life, maybe it is for his chastening, but not necessarily. And I am not to judge in another's life why God has a has allowed the trial. I'm to learn by it.
Because when one member suffers, we all suffer, and we all can seek to learn by what the Lord has allowed in another's life.
But rather than trying to search their hearts, search my own heart. Why has God allowed this? What lesson does God have for me in allowing a trial in Brother Nick's life or Brother Steve's life, but not trying to judge what it why he's allowed it in your life? And with Job's friends, as you say, many of the things they said were right, but they had the wrong spirit and attitude toward Job and they had the wrong perspective as to why God was allowing this in his life.
Would have been hard for Peter to write these words, wouldn't it, if he didn't have the words going through his mind. I have prayed for thee that thy faith hail not. And so when we see another going through a trial or about to go through a trial, if we share the heart of the integrate intercessor, we're going to join them and say, I pray for these thy faith. They'll not.
So we have to hold up the hands that hang down and strengthen the feeble knees when we see others going through trials, aren't we?
Umm, he was, he was speaking to his own people. Peter was familiar with what was going through the soul of these Jewish believers. Their inheritance had been defiled and they had been, you might say, uh, set on a shelf because of their disobedience. And that in itself probably was a blow to, uh, a Jewish person. But.
Umm.
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Peter reminds them that they're, they're, they're now given an inheritance which cannot be defiled, and he's encouraging them that even though they're going through manifold temptations and trials that, umm, there there is. It's all going to work for future blessing in a coming Kingdom. So he's setting their eyes on a head to the time when.
They're going to take part in a Kingdom that's going to be far a far more glorious inheritance than the one that they defiled. And so his, his heart here is set to encourage these believers in their present circumstances and just setting before them that all of these things that they were passing through are going to have.
A, a, a rich blessing in the future. And you know, it's wonderful if we can we, we were talking about how, umm, we have a tendency to want to figure out why, what something is going on in someone else's life. Well, it's, it's a wonderful thing if we can have this spirit of encouragement when we see someone going through a trial that we can, we can see the very best result that God is seeking to produce.
Through this trial, not necessarily seeing the flaw that God is trying to correct, but to present to them the very greatest blessing that's going to come through this trial. And, and I think that's the spirit of the of, of Peter here is he's encouraging these Jewish believers that there's a, there's a, there's, there's a Kingdom coming and everything that they're going through is going.
To be to the praise and glory of the Lord Jesus in that Kingdom. It's gonna be on display in that Kingdom and it's all gonna work for Rich Blessing for them.
Have a thought or could explain what it meant when the Lord said that thy faith fail not.
I don't know what your thought on it was I did enjoy it in the context of kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. That is that the Lord keeps us through to the end and one of the things he used what he uses his faith and so he strengthens that at the way he operates just as he places just says by faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. He uses that word of God at the very beginning of our conscious souls journey to.
Bringing faith in each one of us. And so he keeps that alive all the way home, keeping us in that way. Peter had faith, didn't he? The Lord wouldn't have worded it that way if he didn't have faith. But it was not that Peter didn't have faith. It's thy faith, as you say. But he prayed that the enemy wouldn't get the upper hand and distract him and discourage him. And so there's faith there. Every believer has faith. I believe in some measure. But what happens is we get our eyes off the Lord.
Off the end of the cert of the journey, off the end of the thing, and the enemy gets the advantage. And I believe that's why he goes on in the eighth verse to speak of the object. Here we've spoken of the inheritance and the glory and all that is ahead, but it's really centered in a person, isn't it? It's at the end of verse 7. Jesus Christ, whom not having seen ye love, He puts the person before them. The apostle Paul often does that, doesn't he?
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, and pressing towards the mark for the prize, and the prize, the goal, the object in the Christian life is always Christ. And so Peter says to these Saints, you've never seen Christ with the physical eye. But is he any less real to the eye of faith? No, he's very real to the eye of faith. And brethren, for us, we've never seen the Lord Jesus with the physical eye. Like Paul said, he was one born out of due time.
He never saw Christ here on earth, but he did see Christ in glory, and with that before his soul, he could press on.
And brethren, I believe this is what is going to give us the courage and the fortitude to press on amidst the trials and the difficulties. They're very real, maybe not in the same way these brethren had, but that we have, we have trials and difficulties and temptations and shall I say, even persecutions in the Western world that are very, very different. They may not be outward physical persecutions. As we said yesterday, we're not afraid of being shot or put in prison for having a Bible conference in this hotel facility this weekend. But there's very real trials and difficulties.
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For for a season. But what's gonna preserve us? It's to have the one that we've never seen with the physical eye, but who is very real to the eye of faith. And then in the measure in which we have him before us, we can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. You know this word unspeakable. I'm just gonna digress for a moment because, and I'll just leave it for a little meditation. You have it three times in the New Testament.
You have it past, present and future. So in the past it says thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. We look back to that unspeakable gift of the Lord Jesus and everything else. Every other blessing is based on that.
And then Paul said when he was caught up to the 3rd heaven, he heard unspeakable words. It was not lawful for a man daughter. And we're going to be caught up there soon too, brother. That's what's ahead for us. But what about the present?
You return now, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. This is for the wilderness, this is for the circumstances, this is for the present. Because God always, from the beginning of history, has done two things for His people.
And I think it's good to get a hold of this in our soul. He always gives them an eye to the future and he gives them a present portion. That's why the psalmist said the Lord will give grace and glory. Glory is what comes at the end, but grace meets our present need. Let me give you a little illustration from the children of Israel. You know, when they got into the wilderness, they became very quickly discouraged. Why? Because they looked back. They, they looked back to Egypt. They said we, we, we were, we were fine back there by the flesh pots and we ate the, the fish and the leeks and the cucumbers. And having eaten them myself, I can see.
From a natural standpoint, why they wanted to go back and get some of those things that they had had left behind, but they were looking back and around and it discouraged them. Moses cried under the Lord. And what did the Lord tell Moses to do?
He told them, tell the children of Israel to turn around. They're looking back, not ahead. And when they looked out over the wilderness, what did they see? All the many weary miles and the, the rock and the sand that was in front of them? No, they saw the glory of the Lord in the cloud. And as long as they kept that before them, they were encouraged to go on. And brethren, as long as we have a vision of the coming glory and what is ahead, we're gonna be encouraged to go on step by step in the wilderness journey.
And as long as we have Christ as the object and heaven as the goal, we're going to be encouraged. So He puts these things before them. The inheritance, yes, but it's all centered in a person whom not having seen ye love. So now you see Him not yet rejoicing you, yet believing there has to be that faith, believing you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Brethren, we can have that too.
Giving is so important, isn't it's what brings that joy? Uh, because as you say, if you look at circumstances, you might not be that way, but it's believing what God has said. I like to read Romans chapter 15 and we have the same thing there in verse 13 says now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.
In believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. So it's the same thing there.
It's in believing that you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Apostle John.
You said this is the victory that overcometh the world.
Even our faith.
And faith is the gift of God. We know that from Ephesians 2. By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it's the gift of God. I think it's important to see that not only salvation is God's gift, but the faith to believe. I talked to a man one time and he was in tears because he said I don't seem to have enough faith. Well, I believe.
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That his faith doesn't originate or it's not sustained from our own effort ourselves, but it's God that gives the faith and He's the one that sustains it. And truly it is faith that enables us to endure in this world. And faith, it does bring the present to the future. I should say, the future to the present, that we might enjoy the future.
Even now.
So you pass it to speak of how we don't look on the things that are seen because the things that are seen are temporal. We look on the things that are not seen because they're eternal. And in this chapter we find truly there are.
Temptations or trials?
And he wants us to know it and to enjoy it. Now the world has its pleasures.
And we might be envious.
Of the world because it seems to be having just a great time, but the fact is the pleasures of sin are only for a season, just like the trials of the believer are for a season. The pleasures of sin are first season and Moses.
Tells us that he chose rather.
To suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
And he has seen the reproach of Christ.
Greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, which no doubt to the natural. I were awesome, you know, the pyramids, the gold, the treasures. But it says he had reckoned respect into the recompense of the reward. So he was looking ahead. And if I could just turn to one song and I think this Psalm.
Perhaps fares on this subject that we're considering in Psalm 73.
It says in verse 3 the psalmist says Psalm 73 verse 3.
He says, I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked, and so on. Verse five, They are not in trouble as other men, and so on and so forth. Don't have time to read all this, but verse 12, Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world. They increase.
Enriches. So he's looking about and he's thinking that I'm losing out.
He says in verse.
16.
When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me.
Now here's the turning point.
Somebody might refer to it as the game changer in verse 17.
Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood either in surely doubt. It set them in slippery places. Thou castest them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation? As in a moment they are utterly consumed with tears. So we see the psalmist. He kind of was.
On the wrong track, you had to get back on the rails, so to speak.
And get the right perspective.
And how is it that he did this? He went into the sanctuary, which I believe to be the presence of the Lord. And when we get into the Lord's presence and we get into His word.
This is when we get the right perspective.
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And you know, it's been said that truth is God's perspective, and if we want truth, we need to be in His presence, in His Word.
I heard recently somebody said we need to have our face in the book, and the book was the word of God. And when we do this we get a perspective and we find out that our portion in Christ is absolutely.
Awesome. It's out of this world. It's so wonderful that which we have in Christ. Now here in the Old Testament, the psalmist speaks in verse.
24 And surely he didn't have the same vision as we have now that we're involved by the Spirit of God, we have the complete word of God. But he does say in verse 24, Psalm 7324, Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me the glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire.
Beside the.
I'd like to go back just for a moment to the Lord's expression to Peter. I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not connected with our portion kept by the power of God through faith.
That is, having the proper objects for faith set before us. It's not just a blank statement kept by the power of God, period.
It's through faith.
It's necessarily linked with it. What was Peter's failure? He had his eye on himself.
He had hopes for an earthly Kingdom. He drew the sword to accomplish it.
And he failed morally. Being kept is being kept morally through this scene and view of what's ahead for us. He keeps us morally by putting the proper objects for faith before us. And that's Christ and all that we have in him.
What was the danger with Peter then was brought out. It wasn't that he didn't have faith, but that faith would fail.
You know, speaking with a young brother once, and I think perhaps all of us have passed through this some measure, and perhaps you're passing through it now.
There is moral failure.
Small things, maybe bigger things.
A lot of discouragement. Try to get back on the path, fail again.
And what was brought before him were those scriptures in connection with needing to judge the flesh, needing to spend time in the Word and so on. And his reply and his discouragement was, I know all the tricks.
Just not working.
And that was a danger for Peter.
The Lord wasn't big enough to keep me.
Just doesn't work. This Christianity thing just not worth it anymore.
He wasn't able to keep me.
But the problem was he didn't have his eye on the Lord.
And that's the danger and the failure of faith and for which the Lord prays for us. We can get discouraged to the point because of our own lack of keeping our eye on the Lord and our own moral failures and kind of say this whole Christianity thing, it just doesn't work.
Just doesn't work like I hear in all the conferences and the meetings and all the nice things there. Just doesn't work for me nor as much as saying the Lord is not able to keep me.
He's prayed for us.
He intercedes for us above, and his advocacy is working on our behalf.
That our faith would not fail. He is big enough to keep us, but He wants to set the objects for faith before us. That's how we're going to be kept, having our eye on Him. And I know I'm repeating, a number of things have already been said.
I don't know. Umm.
Together.
Go ahead and pray.
For us to heal the way of all the end and everything come around 1500 and the radiator.
While I continue to pray for all.
Day.
All the things going on.