WEBVTT 00:00:24.089 --> 00:00:25.057 Good morning, church. 00:00:25.057 --> 00:00:27.393 How are we doing? 00:00:27.393 --> 00:00:29.428 It's good to see you here this morning. 00:00:29.428 --> 00:00:36.569 I am Colby Flowers, a student pastor here at Valley View and, John decided to give me the reins this morning. 00:00:36.569 --> 00:00:37.936 I don't know why, but he did. 00:00:37.936 --> 00:00:40.039 So thank you for the opportunity, John. 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:45.612 And, we're going to be continuing on in our series here in first Peter, first Peter chapter one. 00:00:45.612 --> 00:00:48.747 We're going to be working through verses 17 through 21. 00:00:48.747 --> 00:00:55.287 So a small chunk of verses, but incredibly important truths that we're going to see today. 00:00:55.287 --> 00:00:59.792 And I'm very excited to have the opportunity to work through these verses with you. 00:00:59.792 --> 00:01:09.302 But two weeks ago, my neighbor came to my door and knocked on my door, and we're a little bit surprised by it just because it was out of the blue. 00:01:09.302 --> 00:01:11.603 And we've become friends with our neighbors. 00:01:11.603 --> 00:01:15.408 And so we go to the door and it's incredible. 00:01:15.408 --> 00:01:24.016 She actually hands me a Valley View bulletin from 1958. 00:01:25.084 --> 00:01:27.587 And so I've got it on the screen for us for to put it up here. 00:01:27.587 --> 00:01:29.555 We've got several pictures. 00:01:29.555 --> 00:01:31.724 And it was incredible to me. 00:01:31.724 --> 00:01:37.664 They were renovating some cabinets and they brought it over and they said that we thought that you might like to have this. 00:01:37.664 --> 00:01:41.567 And I said, yes, I would love to have this is an incredible gift. 00:01:41.567 --> 00:01:44.603 So I was obviously very intrigued, interested by it. 00:01:44.603 --> 00:01:47.239 I started looking through it, seeing what was in it. 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:53.546 The different programs and things that they had going on at the church at the time and the various staff people. 00:01:53.546 --> 00:01:58.418 And our subdivision was built in the mid 1950s. 00:01:58.418 --> 00:02:10.195 Some of the houses were later in the 1960s, but this bulletin somehow ended up in their house that unbeknownst to them, and they uncover it at this point and then bring it over to me. 00:02:10.195 --> 00:02:12.465 Obviously it's a God thing, so I was blown away by it. 00:02:12.465 --> 00:02:15.935 So I wanted to show it to you just because it left such an impression on me. 00:02:15.935 --> 00:02:25.177 Because whenever you see things that are this just incredible, this historical, you think back, you think back to what has been before you. 00:02:25.177 --> 00:02:34.454 And so obviously, I've been here for just a little over two years at the church, but there's been so much before me, and there'll be so much after me. 00:02:34.454 --> 00:02:45.497 But to find myself in this place for this season, I was thinking back to all the faithful people at Valley View and the the time, the energy, the resources that they put into this church so that it stands here today. 00:02:45.497 --> 00:02:50.802 And I still have a burden, as they did, to reach people in the South and with the gospel. 00:02:50.802 --> 00:02:53.173 And so they still leave an impression on me. 00:02:53.173 --> 00:03:03.415 And the other two weeks ago when I received this, it just put a lot of humility in my heart, because people in the past tend to impress us even today. 00:03:04.584 --> 00:03:07.753 And we also see this too, though, in our parents. 00:03:07.753 --> 00:03:13.393 I mean, the saying is true you will inevitably become like your parents. Amen. 00:03:13.393 --> 00:03:19.264 You may even catch yourself saying something or doing something that your parents do or have done. 00:03:19.264 --> 00:03:23.102 And sometimes, maybe we tend to become more like one or the other. 00:03:23.102 --> 00:03:31.443 But if you've ever seen the progressive commercials where they do, you know, homeowners that are becoming more like their parents and they're trying to avoid all of that, but it's incredibly funny. 00:03:31.443 --> 00:03:38.717 But it hits in this nerve where our forefathers, people before us still have an impression on us today. 00:03:38.751 --> 00:03:45.724 And we're to see that in our past this morning that our forefathers still have an impression on us. 00:03:45.724 --> 00:04:00.872 But we're going to see in the text today that Christians should live with a fear of God because they have been ransomed from the sinful ways they inherited from their forefathers, that all of us have a past. 00:04:00.872 --> 00:04:01.907 Amen. 00:04:01.907 --> 00:04:06.378 All of us have things that we can look back to that we might not be pleased with. 00:04:07.312 --> 00:04:09.014 But the beautiful part about the gospel. 00:04:09.014 --> 00:04:16.689 As Christians, we can look back and say, I've been ransom from that way of life, and now I'm living new. 00:04:16.689 --> 00:04:18.891 And we're to see that in our passage this morning. 00:04:18.891 --> 00:04:35.774 And so the context for for today, Peter is writing to these churches scattered throughout the first century world, and we just looked at last week the call from Peter that we should be holy because God is holy, coming from Leviticus 19. 00:04:35.774 --> 00:04:40.079 And so Peter's sending us up that this is how we should be living. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:46.886 But this morning, his his encouragement is going to be this conduct yourselves with fear. 00:04:46.886 --> 00:04:48.387 And so we're in unpack that this morning. 00:04:48.387 --> 00:04:51.824 So first Peter chapter one verse 17 says this. 00:04:52.425 --> 00:05:04.002 And if you call on him as father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. 00:05:04.002 --> 00:05:11.978 So Peter is continuing his argument that he started back in verse 14, and which he calls Christians obedient children. 00:05:11.978 --> 00:05:17.283 And so as children of God, we call on God as Father. 00:05:17.583 --> 00:05:20.720 It's a theme that's throughout Scripture that we see often. 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:28.060 And so he's saying, if you call on God as Father, then your life needs to be different. 00:05:28.060 --> 00:05:31.064 Your life needs to look different. 00:05:31.230 --> 00:05:36.468 And so he uses this conditional clause to bring up this whole idea, bring that verse back up for me just so we can see it. 00:05:36.468 --> 00:05:40.238 I want to make sure we we don't miss out on this phrase before you. 00:05:40.238 --> 00:05:42.007 I'm I'm bringing that back up. Chad. 00:05:43.543 --> 00:05:44.744 The verse. 00:05:44.744 --> 00:05:46.045 Sorry. 00:05:46.045 --> 00:05:46.946 Bring the verse back up. 00:05:46.946 --> 00:05:48.047 There we go. Perfect. 00:05:48.047 --> 00:05:56.154 So it says that not only is God a father, I want you to see here too that God is also a judge. 00:05:56.588 --> 00:05:59.725 See, we like the idea of God being a father, don't we? 00:05:59.725 --> 00:06:03.829 But then we think about God being a judge. We get a little antsy. 00:06:03.829 --> 00:06:11.903 But here's the truth just because God is your father does not mean he gave up his gavel, says a Christian. 00:06:11.903 --> 00:06:16.108 God is our father, but he is also still our judge. 00:06:16.908 --> 00:06:22.482 So just because God is your father does not mean he gave up his gavel. 00:06:23.149 --> 00:06:24.916 So it's simple. 00:06:24.916 --> 00:06:29.488 God is both and God is both a loving, compassionate father. 00:06:29.488 --> 00:06:33.259 But he is also a correcting, disciplining, righteous judge. 00:06:34.427 --> 00:06:37.829 So notice God is a loving father to all believers. 00:06:37.829 --> 00:06:42.935 So if you're a believer in this house today, praise God, but he is a father to you. 00:06:42.935 --> 00:06:47.339 But look, he is also an impartial judge to all people. 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:52.278 So whether you're a believer or not, God is our judge. 00:06:52.278 --> 00:06:59.886 Meaning, if you become a Christian, that doesn't mean that you don't escape the fact that God is still over your life and he is your judge. 00:06:59.886 --> 00:07:08.961 And it says that God is a impartial judge, meaning he doesn't judge unfairly because we believe in a all knowing, all powerful God. 00:07:08.961 --> 00:07:12.098 So he knows the things you're doing behind closed doors. 00:07:12.098 --> 00:07:15.935 He knows the conversations you may be having with your spouse in your homes. 00:07:15.935 --> 00:07:18.771 He knows everything about you and everything in you. 00:07:18.771 --> 00:07:22.240 And so he's not going to judge us unfairly. 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:33.552 But here's something I think we overlook sometimes as Christians, God is equally displeased with sin, whether it comes from an unbeliever or Christian. 00:07:33.552 --> 00:07:38.858 It doesn't matter who sin, it is sin is this pleasing to God. 00:07:39.192 --> 00:07:46.531 God desires for you and me to follow Jesus, to become like him because it's the most satisfying, rewarding life we could possibly live. 00:07:46.531 --> 00:07:49.901 Because it's what we were created to live how we're supposed to create. 00:07:49.901 --> 00:07:55.074 Or let me rephrase that, it was we were created to live like God. 00:07:55.074 --> 00:08:00.680 And so when we don't, it displeases him, whether we're a Christian or not a Christian. 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:08.987 But sometimes I think we can sometimes get it in our mind that because I'm a Christian, I can live how I want. 00:08:08.987 --> 00:08:10.255 I've got freedom. 00:08:10.255 --> 00:08:13.291 We say the phrase a lot freedom in Christ. 00:08:15.093 --> 00:08:27.105 But here's the truth this morning God holds the same standard of righteousness for all people, but he has greater expectations for his children. 00:08:27.105 --> 00:08:40.318 So if I ever see my daughter get in a, argument or is not playing well with another another child, my first instinct is to go to my daughter. 00:08:40.318 --> 00:08:43.556 I'm not going to go to the kid who's not my kid, right? 00:08:43.556 --> 00:08:50.363 I'm going to go to my daughter first because I going to pull her out of the situation and then explain to her, we don't play that way. 00:08:50.363 --> 00:08:51.397 We don't argue that way. 00:08:51.397 --> 00:08:53.331 Right. 00:08:53.331 --> 00:08:56.201 But I may give advice to the other kid. 00:08:56.201 --> 00:08:57.436 I might say, hey, you know what? 00:08:57.436 --> 00:08:59.705 Maybe we shouldn't throw the toy and hit my daughter in the head. 00:08:59.705 --> 00:09:01.006 We probably shouldn't do that. 00:09:02.508 --> 00:09:05.477 But over the, you know, I'll go and pick her up at daycare. 00:09:05.477 --> 00:09:08.447 And so when I go to pick her up, I'll see to sometimes. 00:09:08.447 --> 00:09:12.918 But my instinct is always to go to my daughter first. Why? 00:09:12.918 --> 00:09:17.856 It's because I have different expectations for my daughter than I do for the other children. 00:09:17.856 --> 00:09:20.393 Yes, I believe all children should play fairly. 00:09:20.393 --> 00:09:27.866 They shouldn't be arguing my standard for all children is the same, but I have greater expectations for my child. 00:09:27.866 --> 00:09:33.572 And that's the way God looks at you and me as Christians, that his standard of righteousness is the same for all people. 00:09:33.572 --> 00:09:37.543 But he has greater expectations from his kids. 00:09:37.543 --> 00:09:40.779 So if we call on God, His father, he is also our judge. 00:09:40.779 --> 00:09:50.221 And because of that, Peter says here in this verse that we are to conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. 00:09:51.190 --> 00:09:53.725 Here's kind of the main point Peter's trying to get at. 00:09:53.725 --> 00:10:02.534 If you call on God as your father and he is also your judge, you should be living your life with a sense of fear in your heart. 00:10:04.003 --> 00:10:15.581 So just because God has unending grace, he can forgive us of all sins and he does in Christ Jesus. 00:10:15.581 --> 00:10:20.418 This does not mean we can just live carelessly. 00:10:20.418 --> 00:10:26.958 That is, I'm going to confess Jesus, but then I'm going to live how I want to live. 00:10:26.958 --> 00:10:28.027 It doesn't work like that. 00:10:28.027 --> 00:10:30.261 And Peter is is trying to prepare them. 00:10:30.261 --> 00:10:35.201 Listen, you have called God and God is Father, but now you got to be careful on how you live. 00:10:35.201 --> 00:10:37.870 Your life matters more. 00:10:37.870 --> 00:10:41.139 Paul says in Romans six, he says he has this rhetorical question. 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:47.312 He says, should we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 00:10:47.312 --> 00:10:51.850 Meaning should we just keep living in sin so that more grace comes into our life? 00:10:51.850 --> 00:10:56.187 And he says, obviously, no, you don't keep living in sin. 00:10:56.187 --> 00:10:57.889 And this is why he says it. 00:10:57.889 --> 00:11:02.327 He says, for those who have died to sin, how can they still live in it? 00:11:03.629 --> 00:11:07.932 So the picture he's giving is, if we've died to sin, we shouldn't keep on living in it. 00:11:07.932 --> 00:11:09.000 Your life should change. 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:11.269 Your life should look different. 00:11:11.269 --> 00:11:22.148 He also says in Galatians five one for freedom Christ set us free, meaning Jesus saves us and sets us free from sin. 00:11:22.148 --> 00:11:27.919 Not so that we would go back into that lifestyle, but that we would run from it. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:32.224 It's like Jesus opening the key to the prison in us staying in it. 00:11:32.224 --> 00:11:33.491 He set us free from sin. 00:11:33.491 --> 00:11:34.793 He set us free from death. 00:11:34.793 --> 00:11:39.731 And for us to stay in that prison cell is not what God's called us to do. 00:11:40.066 --> 00:11:42.668 So he says, for freedom Christ set us free. 00:11:42.668 --> 00:11:46.404 Therefore do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 00:11:46.404 --> 00:11:50.208 That is, don't put that slavery and sin back on you. 00:11:50.208 --> 00:11:52.878 Take it off and go forward. 00:11:52.878 --> 00:11:53.645 So here's the point. 00:11:53.645 --> 00:12:02.221 This morning, Christ did not set us free so that we could have the the freedom to come and go in God's family. 00:12:02.221 --> 00:12:05.356 That is, we have one foot in the world and one foot in church. 00:12:06.958 --> 00:12:14.399 That is, we live a certain way on Sundays, but we live a different way on Monday through Saturday night and closer. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:20.840 But instead our lives should look the same because we have a father who loves us, who died for us. 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:23.075 But he's also our judge. 00:12:23.075 --> 00:12:25.177 And your life matters. 00:12:25.177 --> 00:12:26.979 My life matters. 00:12:26.979 --> 00:12:31.649 Faith in Jesus is important, but now how you live it out also matters. 00:12:33.219 --> 00:12:37.188 So this is why Peter's pointing them to conduct yourselves. 00:12:37.188 --> 00:12:40.192 Live your lives with fear. 00:12:40.658 --> 00:12:41.494 But you got to take a moment. 00:12:41.494 --> 00:12:43.629 What does he mean here by fear? 00:12:43.629 --> 00:12:52.037 Because it's not merely this complete, total fear where we are paralyzed, but it's also not this idea. 00:12:52.037 --> 00:12:55.441 Sometimes in churches where, oh, I respect God. 00:12:55.441 --> 00:12:56.642 It's much more than that. 00:12:57.909 --> 00:13:10.655 So I want to say this this morning, maybe this will help us kind of understand it, that a holy fear of God is not exaggerated or careless, but it's childlike. 00:13:10.655 --> 00:13:13.759 So let me let me try to unpack this real quick. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:28.573 If we look at God and overemphasize him as this righteous, holy judge that will immediately smite me down if I sneeze wrong, you're going to look at God with the wrong fear. 00:13:29.041 --> 00:13:40.052 If you look at God though, as this loving father who will forgive me for every sin that I ever commit, and I can live how I want, you're going to live carelessly. 00:13:40.119 --> 00:13:46.826 But like Jesus says in the Gospels, he says, you should have a child like faith. 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:49.662 And I see this picture too here. 00:13:49.662 --> 00:14:00.605 I'm not saying Jesus certainly did not say this, but I see this picture in this passage that if we call on God as Father, we need to have a child like fear of God. 00:14:01.407 --> 00:14:06.077 Not to overemphasize God is Father or overemphasize God is judge. 00:14:06.077 --> 00:14:07.913 He is both at the same time. 00:14:07.913 --> 00:14:11.517 And we know that God loves us and we know that God will discipline us. 00:14:11.517 --> 00:14:12.851 Do you see that? 00:14:12.851 --> 00:14:14.720 That's what good parents do, don't they? 00:14:15.754 --> 00:14:18.756 Good parents can have both law and love. 00:14:19.124 --> 00:14:22.727 Good parents can discipline and also encourage. 00:14:22.727 --> 00:14:29.567 Good parents will correct behavior, and then they will also have compassion towards kids who make mistakes. 00:14:29.567 --> 00:14:30.568 You've got to have both. 00:14:30.568 --> 00:14:32.770 And this is God at the perfect sense. 00:14:32.770 --> 00:14:35.774 God is the perfect parent. 00:14:36.174 --> 00:14:44.950 So Christians, believers, we should obey God because we love him as our father, but we also fear him as our judge. 00:14:44.950 --> 00:14:49.587 Do you see that this morning we have to approach God that way? 00:14:49.587 --> 00:14:52.091 And John 1415 says it very quickly. 00:14:52.091 --> 00:14:57.028 Jesus says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. 00:14:58.062 --> 00:15:04.403 Our love for God is our motivating, our motivation for our obedience to God. 00:15:05.403 --> 00:15:12.811 So listen, if you have become God's child, then your life should look distinctly different. 00:15:13.846 --> 00:15:16.181 And this is what this is what Peter's trying to do this morning. 00:15:16.181 --> 00:15:18.716 And listen, I want us to do the same. 00:15:18.716 --> 00:15:19.884 I've been doing this all week. 00:15:19.884 --> 00:15:23.121 I've been looking at my life and this is what Peter would say. 00:15:23.121 --> 00:15:26.125 Examine how you're living. 00:15:26.926 --> 00:15:30.261 And does that match up with your confession? 00:15:30.461 --> 00:15:35.801 Does your life match up to what you confess to? 00:15:35.801 --> 00:15:37.469 So here's my first point this morning. 00:15:37.469 --> 00:15:43.042 We need to live with a child like fear of God. 00:15:44.275 --> 00:15:49.014 We shouldn't overemphasize God as if he's going to smite us at every mistake we make. 00:15:49.014 --> 00:15:59.057 But we also shouldn't approach God with this flippant, careless, unserious tone where we believe God is going to forgive us all the time and we really don't have to change our life. 00:16:00.525 --> 00:16:04.596 But like any good parent, God doesn't want you to stay in your mess. 00:16:04.596 --> 00:16:06.432 He wants you to step out of your mess. 00:16:06.432 --> 00:16:08.900 Amen. 00:16:08.900 --> 00:16:11.903 So Peter goes on here in verse 18. 00:16:12.270 --> 00:16:25.951 So this is Peter continuing his arm argument, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold. 00:16:26.051 --> 00:16:34.625 Peter says, conduct yourselves with fear, because you have been ransomed. 00:16:35.594 --> 00:16:37.096 Now Peter is very strategic here. 00:16:37.096 --> 00:16:38.429 Peter is a smart guy. 00:16:38.429 --> 00:16:41.899 He uses this word specifically on purpose. 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:56.280 It was likely that Peter was writing to Gentiles, that is, non-Jewish people, and they predominantly lived in a pagan worship and a pagan lifestyle with idols all around them, particularly in Greece. 00:16:56.280 --> 00:17:01.519 In the Roman culture, there was pagan idol worship all over the place. 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:15.334 But this word ransomed is interesting because it would give the earliest readers that we give them this word picture here, because this word was used often in the Greco-Roman commerce system. 00:17:15.334 --> 00:17:22.007 So basically, when a slave was liberated from their slavery, they would pay a ransom. 00:17:22.007 --> 00:17:24.108 And this word was used. 00:17:24.108 --> 00:17:30.715 And what would happen is the slave would would gather together money, gold, silver, whatever he could find. 00:17:30.715 --> 00:17:38.856 And to free himself, he would come to the temple, pay the temple, and they would pay off his slave owner. 00:17:38.856 --> 00:17:40.526 And so this picture is this. 00:17:40.526 --> 00:17:47.900 This God or goddess would ransom a slave away from their slave owner. 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:59.178 So if you can even turn this slightly, a little bit, you already see what the gospel is in this, that God would redeem and ransom a former slave out of their slavery. 00:17:59.510 --> 00:18:20.798 So Peter says, I'm going to use this word here, but it would also be, relatable to Jewish people because they once spent years and years in Egypt in which God used Moses to ransom and redeem them out of Egypt by using the blood of a spotless lamb. 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:35.614 But also notice to in this passage, in this verse that they were ransomed from what Peter says, futile ways, futile, being empty, fruitless, vain. 00:18:36.548 --> 00:18:41.953 So Peter saying, listen, you were former pagan worshipers and God has ransomed. 00:18:41.953 --> 00:18:48.961 You purchased you, bought you out of that lifestyle, and it no longer is a part of your life. 00:18:49.161 --> 00:18:49.595 He says. 00:18:49.595 --> 00:18:53.932 You've inherited those futile, those empty ways of living from your forefathers. 00:18:53.932 --> 00:18:58.936 It was went from one dad to the son, not son to his son, from his son to this son. 00:18:58.936 --> 00:19:04.576 And it was this cycle of sin and rebellion and harmful living. 00:19:04.576 --> 00:19:07.813 Then listen, God broke that in your life. 00:19:09.647 --> 00:19:20.893 And I don't know if anybody can relate to that here, because our forefathers, our parents had this effect on us even today, whether we want it to be or not. 00:19:21.026 --> 00:19:26.131 Some of us have families who have struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. 00:19:26.397 --> 00:19:34.038 Some of us have grown up in families of broken marriages, abusive relationships. 00:19:34.038 --> 00:19:41.613 You've grown up in a family that has cycles of sin and rebellion and futile ways. 00:19:41.613 --> 00:19:48.319 But here's the beautiful part this morning church sinful habits and lifestyles can cycle through for generations over and over. 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:54.660 But God can break every chain for any person. 00:19:54.726 --> 00:20:00.464 There is not one thing that's going on in your life that God cannot ransom you from. 00:20:00.798 --> 00:20:17.682 I don't care how long it's been going in your family, but what if God was to look at you and say, I'm going to break this, this chain right now in this family, with this person, his family, her family, they struggle with alcohol and drug abuse, he's going to come and ransom me from it. 00:20:17.682 --> 00:20:20.285 He is able to. 00:20:20.285 --> 00:20:24.222 But notice he's not able to or I don't want to say it that way. 00:20:24.222 --> 00:20:28.292 There's there's nothing we can do to fix it. 00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:36.468 See, our futile ways require something much more precious than silver or gold to ransom us. 00:20:37.603 --> 00:20:39.471 There's no amount of money you can pay. 00:20:39.471 --> 00:20:47.045 There's no amount of religious duty or righteous deeds that you can come up with to ransom and fix your life. 00:20:47.045 --> 00:20:54.786 There's no amount of extreme discipline that's just going to fix everything and cure the sin in your heart. 00:20:55.354 --> 00:21:13.005 But look what Peter says in verse 19, come on, church, verse 19, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot, Peter says, it's not gold. 00:21:13.005 --> 00:21:15.673 It's not money, it's not religious deeds, it's not duties. 00:21:15.673 --> 00:21:18.477 Here's what does ransomed me from your old way of life. 00:21:18.477 --> 00:21:20.077 It's the blood of Jesus. 00:21:20.077 --> 00:21:24.148 And now some of us might hear that and think, this is a little archaic. 00:21:24.148 --> 00:21:25.317 This is a little cultish. 00:21:25.317 --> 00:21:28.553 Like, this is kind of weird that we're talking about blood. 00:21:28.553 --> 00:21:30.321 I mean, it's the 21st century. 00:21:30.321 --> 00:21:31.289 What are we talking about here? 00:21:31.289 --> 00:21:34.292 Blood saving us from something. 00:21:34.292 --> 00:21:38.363 The whole reason Peter speaking the blood here is this word picture. 00:21:38.363 --> 00:21:40.999 See, the Jewish, the Jews believed in the Old Testament. 00:21:40.999 --> 00:21:44.869 They wrote about it that blood was the essence of life. 00:21:45.336 --> 00:21:51.309 And often it was described in the Old Testament that when blood was shed is for sacrifice. 00:21:51.309 --> 00:21:54.945 Something had to die so something else could live. 00:21:54.945 --> 00:21:56.013 Peter's giving this word. 00:21:56.013 --> 00:22:05.891 Picture this illustration to say that listen, the precious blood of Jesus was spilled so that you didn't have to die in your sins. 00:22:05.891 --> 00:22:11.896 Peter's giving us this picture that there was a substitutionary death by Jesus. 00:22:11.896 --> 00:22:17.201 He took our place and we reap the benefits of his perfect life. 00:22:17.201 --> 00:22:18.502 Look at this in Hebrews ten. 00:22:18.502 --> 00:22:30.749 Hebrews does a great job of explaining this to us, and every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. 00:22:30.749 --> 00:22:40.424 They would stand in the in the temple and offer sacrifices over and over and over again for sins they knew about, for sins they were unaware of. 00:22:40.424 --> 00:22:46.597 But this was a way that they could appease God and delay the payment later. 00:22:47.065 --> 00:22:50.969 It's like swiping a credit card and committing, I'm going to pay this later. 00:22:50.969 --> 00:22:52.570 That's what these sacrifices were. 00:22:52.570 --> 00:22:55.039 Swipe the credit card. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:56.575 But look what it says in verse 12. 00:22:56.575 --> 00:23:10.588 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 00:23:10.622 --> 00:23:12.257 He brings it to culmination in verse 14. 00:23:12.257 --> 00:23:21.866 Listen to this, for by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 00:23:22.933 --> 00:23:24.102 If there's one thing you can. 00:23:24.102 --> 00:23:24.469 Amen. 00:23:24.469 --> 00:23:37.281 Today, church, it is that for by one single, solitary offering, Jesus perfect life on the cross, dying in our place for our sins. 00:23:37.382 --> 00:23:51.829 And because of that, he fully and perfectly in one sense sanctifies us, makes us holy, ransom ransoms us, redeems us from all of our futile ways through faith in Jesus and. 00:23:58.002 --> 00:24:01.972 So you want to know why the blood of Jesus is precious? 00:24:02.073 --> 00:24:05.810 It's because it's the only thing that can ransom you right? 00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:13.218 I don't know what you're going to right now to try to find ransom money. 00:24:13.652 --> 00:24:16.621 I don't know if there's a particular habit that you're leaning on. 00:24:16.621 --> 00:24:23.327 If there's a particular hobby that you're going to, if there's some way that you're trying to maybe fix or clean up your life. 00:24:23.327 --> 00:24:26.998 But listen, there is only one way. 00:24:28.066 --> 00:24:30.501 And that's the blood of Jesus. 00:24:30.501 --> 00:24:32.837 So the world can call us archaic. 00:24:32.837 --> 00:24:34.806 The world can call us cultish. 00:24:34.806 --> 00:24:40.644 But I'm going to preach and plead the blood of Jesus the rest of my life. 00:24:41.712 --> 00:24:45.584 And if and if the world calls us weird, that's okay. 00:24:45.584 --> 00:24:49.019 I'm okay with be called weird if they come to know Jesus. 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:54.659 So this morning, church, remember the precious blood that Jesus paid for you? 00:24:54.859 --> 00:24:57.863 The cost was not cheap. 00:24:58.730 --> 00:25:07.038 It took God surrendering his precious son on the cross for you and me. 00:25:07.239 --> 00:25:19.683 So look here in verse 20, last two verses of our passage this morning, it says Jesus, he, Jesus was for known before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times. 00:25:19.683 --> 00:25:21.952 For the sake of you. 00:25:21.952 --> 00:25:33.397 I can spend a lot of time on this, but here's what this basically means Jesus was chosen before the foundation of of the world, and there is a plan in place for you and me to be saved. 00:25:34.499 --> 00:25:43.607 It was God's plan for all eternity to ransom his children through the precious blood of Jesus. 00:25:43.607 --> 00:25:52.817 Since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, it was God's plan to ransom us, you and me, today through the blood of Jesus. 00:25:52.817 --> 00:25:54.618 He knew about us. 00:25:54.618 --> 00:25:55.720 He knew about our sins. 00:25:55.720 --> 00:26:00.392 He knew the direction of and trajectory of the world and he knew what he was going to do. 00:26:00.392 --> 00:26:01.393 And just. 00:26:01.393 --> 00:26:06.664 And within the past 20,000 years, God's plan is starting to be fulfilled. 00:26:06.664 --> 00:26:16.740 We're literally in the last times now we should be conducting ourselves with fear because the Lord can be coming back anytime. 00:26:17.509 --> 00:26:26.451 But notice what Peter says it was for the sake of you that God revealed his plan according to his timing. 00:26:26.451 --> 00:26:30.121 You and I get the privilege of being in history right now. 00:26:30.121 --> 00:26:31.489 Jesus has died. 00:26:31.489 --> 00:26:35.859 Jesus has been raised from the dead, and we look to the day that Jesus gets to come back. 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:43.835 Today is a blessed day to be a Christian and and it's going to get better. 00:26:43.835 --> 00:26:51.942 Last verse in our passage, verse 21 who through him that's us are believers in God. 00:26:51.942 --> 00:27:03.121 You and me are believers through Christ, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 00:27:04.221 --> 00:27:06.191 So we see two things here. 00:27:06.191 --> 00:27:11.328 God raised Jesus from the dead and he glorified Jesus. 00:27:11.328 --> 00:27:16.934 Two things that we can't lose in our Bible believing faith. 00:27:17.836 --> 00:27:18.603 And listen. 00:27:18.603 --> 00:27:24.742 What Peter's saying here is that our hope and our faith are centered on these two things. 00:27:25.309 --> 00:27:32.150 So the resurrection of Christ listen, it was the payment confirmation of the cross. 00:27:32.150 --> 00:27:33.183 Y'all know what I'm talking about. 00:27:33.183 --> 00:27:35.119 You get these emails all the time. 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:37.888 If you pay an online bill, you get the confirmation that you paid it. 00:27:39.590 --> 00:27:48.500 When Jesus went to the cross, he paid for the sins, but then he was raised in three days, and that's the confirmation that the payment went through. 00:27:48.500 --> 00:27:53.238 And so we can have confidence that the payments good. 00:27:53.270 --> 00:27:55.006 Look at this in first Corinthians 15. 00:27:55.006 --> 00:28:01.613 Here Paul goes on to explain, he says, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith, here's our word. 00:28:01.613 --> 00:28:03.647 Futile, pointless. 00:28:03.647 --> 00:28:05.750 Empty. Worthless. 00:28:05.750 --> 00:28:07.818 And you are still in your sins. 00:28:07.818 --> 00:28:09.721 But here's the glory of it all. Verse 20. 00:28:09.721 --> 00:28:19.998 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, and by first fruits means we're going to follow him. 00:28:19.998 --> 00:28:21.298 Jesus was first. 00:28:21.298 --> 00:28:23.634 We're coming right behind him. 00:28:23.634 --> 00:28:26.637 Resurrection. 00:28:27.071 --> 00:28:27.505 Amen. 00:28:27.505 --> 00:28:28.405 That's good to clap back. 00:28:31.608 --> 00:28:34.878 So not only have we, we're going to be raised with Jesus. 00:28:34.878 --> 00:28:37.848 He also says that Jesus was glorified. 00:28:38.682 --> 00:28:46.857 So to think of it this way, the glorification of Christ is the paid off deed to your new home with God. 00:28:47.224 --> 00:28:54.164 The deeds been paid, the property has been purchased, and now we're heading home. 00:28:54.164 --> 00:28:58.435 And one day we'll get to be with God for all eternity in his presence forever. 00:28:58.435 --> 00:29:02.406 And this is why Peter is wrapping all of this in the context. 00:29:02.406 --> 00:29:04.075 Conduct yourselves with fear. 00:29:04.075 --> 00:29:09.948 Do you see that if all of this is true, we should live differently? 00:29:09.948 --> 00:29:20.258 Our last verse this morning, Galatians or sorry, Colossians three four When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 00:29:21.893 --> 00:29:30.134 Brothers and sisters, I pray that we're longing for that day, and because we're longing for that day, it would change the way you live right now. 00:29:30.134 --> 00:29:35.205 And if you don't know Christ in this room, I got an answer to your problems. 00:29:35.240 --> 00:29:37.275 It's the blood of Jesus. 00:29:37.275 --> 00:29:41.246 And as archaic and cultish as that might seem. 00:29:41.645 --> 00:29:52.323 Jesus took all of the suffering that we deserve from a holy, righteous God so that you don't have to to reintroduce you to the one who made you. 00:29:52.824 --> 00:29:59.830 So on these two things, on the resurrection and glorification, are the anchors of our faith and hope in God. 00:29:59.830 --> 00:30:07.172 And I pray, church, that you're reminding yourself daily that Jesus is alive, and one day you're going to follow suit with him in glory. 00:30:08.138 --> 00:30:30.295 So my third point for this morning, and I encourage you keep your faith and hope in God, not in your sufferings, not in the things of this world, not in the things that you can get lost in, with hobbies and career and job and relationships and the whole gamut of things that I can mention but keep your faith and hope in God. 00:30:31.628 --> 00:30:33.798 So this morning, my challenge is simple. 00:30:33.798 --> 00:30:38.202 Do you live with a childlike fear of God? 00:30:39.503 --> 00:30:46.344 Do you walk knowing that God loves you, but that he also will discipline you, that your life matters? 00:30:46.344 --> 00:30:54.919 And I pray this morning that you and me, all of us, would examine our lives to see if our life matches up with our confession. Let's pray. 00:30:56.186 --> 00:30:57.588 Father, we thank you for your word. 00:30:57.588 --> 00:31:02.227 We thank you, God that you love us even when we mess up. 00:31:02.227 --> 00:31:24.982 We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you were willing to take the full weight and penalty of our sin so that we might have a relationship with you, and because of your precious blood that you spilled on our behalf, we are ransomed from our old ways. 00:31:25.182 --> 00:31:32.056 And father, you have provided a solution to all of the things that may hold us back. 00:31:32.056 --> 00:31:39.063 All of the chains and cycles of sin and harmful behavior and harmful habits. 00:31:39.230 --> 00:31:44.402 You have ransomed and and cured us all of all those things through the blood of Jesus. 00:31:44.402 --> 00:31:49.374 Now, father, I know that that doesn't mean life's going to be easy. 00:31:49.374 --> 00:31:51.409 That we still experience temptation. 00:31:51.409 --> 00:31:54.511 We still experience the desire to go back. 00:31:54.511 --> 00:32:04.788 But if we would just remember, father, that Jesus is alive and we're headed to be with him, that we will find the motivation to keep walking in the fear of the Lord. 00:32:05.556 --> 00:32:09.394 Help us God this morning to walk with a childlike fear. 00:32:09.394 --> 00:32:10.929 In Jesus name, Amen.