WEBVTT 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:12.480 This podcast is brought to you by Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people to know, enjoy, and glorify God. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:18.000 For more information about Grand Parkway, visit Grandparkway.org. 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:28.079 Lord Jesus, I thank you that what we were just singing is true. 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:29.920 That you're worthy. 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.000 You're worthy, Lord. 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:36.399 Thank you for what you've done for us, God. 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:39.679 You've been far better to us than any of us deserve. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:41.920 We're so grateful this morning, Lord. 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:46.719 Lord, I pray as I preach this morning, would your Holy Spirit come and speak to us? 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:48.719 Would you encourage us where we need encourage? 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.200 Would you challenge us where we need challenge, God? 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:53.840 We came this morning because we need to hear from you. 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:56.000 We could be out on a boat in a lake somewhere. 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.280 It's Memorial Day weekend, Lord, but we came because we want to hear from you. 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:02.799 And so I pray that you'd you'd speak to us this morning, Lord. 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:04.560 In your name I pray. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:05.519 Amen. 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:08.879 So the first thing I gotta tell you guys is some good news. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:11.519 My wife yesterday had a baby. 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:17.439 And so um my son was born late last night. 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:18.799 His name's Bear Knox. 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:23.120 I know last week I said, you know, the thing with the name that we weren't gonna tell you until afterwards. 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:24.879 So now, yeah, you can't complain. 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:26.159 That's just the name. 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:27.760 Um, Bear Knox. 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:29.519 So we're very excited. 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:33.040 Still can't believe that God's been that good to us to give us another child. 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:39.760 Um, but this morning I want to share with you some news that is it's hard for me to believe right now, but it's actually better news than that. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:47.200 We're gonna talk about what Christ has done for us, which is far better and far more impactful and more significant news than having a new child. 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:48.480 Think about that for a minute. 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:49.840 What Christ did for us. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:52.799 Way, way better than a new baby. 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:55.680 So let's go to 1 Peter chapter 1. 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:57.760 I'm gonna read verses 1 through 5. 00:01:57.840 --> 00:01:58.879 That's where we're gonna spend the morning. 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:02.000 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 1 through 5. 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:03.359 I'm gonna read. 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:20.400 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Capitol, Asia, and Bithnea, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, and the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:24.159 May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:47.280 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation, ready to be revealed at the last time. 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:50.159 All right, so that's God's word for us this morning. 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:52.240 Let's uh let's dig into the book. 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.680 Verse one says, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:59.919 And I think the thing to note here is that Peter, that's a name, that's the name Jesus gave him. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.520 His name used to be Simeon, and Jesus said, No, that's not who you are anymore. 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:05.520 You're you're Peter, and that name meant rock. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:07.840 And he said, On this rock, I'm gonna build my church. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.319 And that that became significant for Peter that that was his name. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:13.520 Later in the book, he's gonna refer to the people in this book as living stones. 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:15.439 And so he's kind of carrying on what Jesus did for him. 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:19.199 He's saying, It's not just me, you guys are called to be living stones as well. 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:23.360 He also says, um, his name's not just Peter, he says I'm an apostle of Jesus Christ. 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:26.560 And this is the kind of thing that you see in a lot of the letters in the New Testament. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:32.080 When Peter or Paul starts a letter, they often start off by like, hey, this isn't something I did, this is something Christ did for me. 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:35.919 He called me to be an apostle, and that's how I got appointed to this role. 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:44.879 The next verse or the next sentence there, he says, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion, elect exiles, does that sound weird to anybody else? 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:52.159 It's like two words, like elect kind of makes you feel good and wonderful inside, and exiles is like I don't I don't know if I want to be an exile. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:55.439 It's kind of two different words there. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:04:02.479 Um, so when you when you look at the word exiles, what Peter's referring to, so what you got to realize with Peter, when he's writing this book, he's he's very Jewish. 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:06.080 And so when being Jewish, Jewish words come out of his mouth. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:09.680 And and the word exile to Peter, he would be thinking back to the Old Testament. 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:17.040 And in the Old Testament, the Jewish people were God's chosen people, and he said, One day I'm gonna give you a land and you're gonna prosper there, and that happens for them. 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.360 He gives them the land of Israel and they prosper. 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:24.079 But then he says, if you want to keep the land, you're gonna have to obey what I've I've called you to do. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:25.360 And they don't do that, right? 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:26.959 Like they disobey over hundreds of years. 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:28.160 They disobey and disobey. 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:34.000 And God says prophet after prophet after prophet to warn them and say, guys, you gotta get back on track, you gotta follow Jesus. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:39.680 And they're at the end, they're kind of like, Yeah, that we're you just love us anyhow, we'll do whatever we want, forget it. 00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:41.680 And they get exiled. 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:47.120 A nation comes and conquers them, and they get led off in chains to another country. 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.480 That's what exile would be. 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:52.560 That is what Peter is referring to when he uses the phrase exile. 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:56.240 It's living in a foreign land that isn't your homeland. 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:59.279 But he calls them elect exiles. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:04.560 Um, if you look at verse 4-3, I think it can give a little more to what's going on here. 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:18.720 In chapter 4, verse 3 of 1 Peter, he says, For the time is that the time that is past suffices for doing what Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:22.240 So Peter's kind of identifying who he's writing to right there. 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:24.079 And he's saying he's writing to the Gentiles. 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:28.639 This book, if you look at it, you would see this book wasn't written to Jewish people, it was written to Gentiles. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:35.040 Gentiles are simply non-Jewish people, which is probably the majority of us in the audience were probably mostly Gentile. 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.040 And Peter's identifying Gentile sins in this passage. 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:42.000 All this stuff in here, idolatry, parties, all that kind of stuff. 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:44.319 This is all the kind of things that Gentiles struggled with. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.160 The Jews didn't struggle with this kind of stuff. 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:47.920 The Jews struggled with legalism. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:55.199 They were trying so hard to follow all the rules of scripture, and and and they'd get in trouble because they were adding to the rules and making more rules. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:56.480 That was the Jewish issue. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:00.000 The Gentile issue was just doing whatever they wanted and sending it up. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:08.240 And so Peter is writing to these Gentile believers, and they're starting to feel like exiles in their culture. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:12.480 And the reason they're starting to feel like exiles is because they're being persecuted. 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:14.399 How are they being persecuted? 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:20.160 If you look at chapter 2, verse 12, it says there that they're being reviled. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:26.079 In chapter 223 and also 3.9, I'm sorry, 212 says they're being spoken evil of. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:29.040 223 and 3.9 says they're being reviled. 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:33.519 In 3.1, it says that wives are suffering under unbelieving husbands. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:36.639 In 314, it says they're suffering for righteousness' sake. 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:41.199 In 316, it says they're being accused and called account, called to account for their hope. 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:44.399 And in 4-1, it says they're suffering in the flesh. 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:47.600 So minimum here, they're experiencing social persecution. 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:54.720 This is a kind of persecution where, you know, maybe you have a business deal that you want to do with this other guy in your town and things are going great. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.120 And then he's like, Well, you know, what which one of the gods do you worship? 00:06:57.199 --> 00:06:58.240 And you're like, Well, I worship Jesus. 00:06:58.319 --> 00:06:59.279 And you're like, wait a minute. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:02.879 And then you start to explain it, and he's like, I don't want to do the deal anymore, I'm out. 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:13.279 Or um, maybe it's uh maybe you have some friends and you used to go to the temple with them and worship these false gods and do all kinds of crazy stuff, and you're like, Yeah, I can't, I'm I'm a Christian now, I can't do that anymore. 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:14.959 And they're like, What are you talking about, man? 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:17.279 Like, you're too good for us now, you can't do it? 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:18.240 Fine, we're not friends with you. 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:19.279 And they they just ditch you. 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:22.000 That's the kind of persecution these people were going through. 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:27.759 And I think when you think about that kind of persecution, what Peter's saying is you're elect exiles. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.800 Like, yeah, I realize that you guys are exiles. 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:32.800 I realize that's what's what's happening to you. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:37.519 You you feel like you've been exiled, but you need to understand you're not just exiles, you're elect. 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:38.639 God chose this for you. 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:40.560 This isn't something that's happened by accident. 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:45.439 It's something God placed you there for a purpose and he ordained this season for you. 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:52.480 When I was in uh Taiwan, I had a card when I was there, and on it it said resident alien. 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:56.959 And I was literally not an alien like extraterrestrial, I was a resident alien. 00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:00.399 It wasn't my home, but I legally had the right to be there. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.480 That's what that card said of me. 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:08.879 And I think what we need to realize as Americans is like our primary allegiance isn't with America. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:10.319 Yes, it's Memorial Day. 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:13.199 Man, I I probably couldn't love America much more than I do. 00:08:13.279 --> 00:08:14.639 I've been to other countries. 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:17.600 I like I understand how blessed we are. 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:18.959 I know what a good country this is. 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:22.480 I'm grateful for our soldiers, and I'm working for the good of our nation. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:24.800 I want to see our nation prosper. 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:29.600 However, I also realize that my primary citizenship is not as an American citizen. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:35.279 My primary citizenship is a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, right? 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:41.039 And so what that means is that sometimes I don't feel super comfortable in America. 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:49.279 I I remember when I was living in Taiwan, I'd been there for like seven, eight years, and I remember a year or two in, I flew back from my furlough or my vacation in the States. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:54.399 And when I came home, I was like, I don't, this doesn't feel like home anymore. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.240 And I remember then I flew back to Taiwan and I was like, well, Taiwan's kind of my home. 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:00.480 It kind of feels like home, but not really. 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:02.480 And America doesn't really feel like home anymore either. 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:06.399 And I kind of got depressed about it, and I was like, what's going on here? 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:10.639 And at that time I felt like the Holy Spirit came to me and said, Brent, this is this is a good thing. 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:13.039 Like you're understanding what it is to be a Christian. 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.879 You shouldn't feel comfortable in either nation because neither of them are your primary residence. 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:20.000 But your primary residence is in the kingdom of heaven. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:23.679 And here's how I think this relates to us. 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:30.080 I I think for us in our nation, I don't know that we're really facing persecution, especially down here in Texas where everybody says they go to church on Sunday. 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:35.200 Like, I don't I don't know that we're facing real persecution, but I think we are facing some social stuff. 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:42.399 Like I think, I think politically, we as Christians, we're used to being uh kind of in the center and having some power and some clout. 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:45.600 And I think we feel ourselves being pushed to the margins more and more in America. 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:47.440 I think most of us can feel that. 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:49.519 And and could I just encourage you? 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:52.799 I I think actually the margins, I'm not saying we should want that. 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:55.120 Let's pray that we continue to have influence. 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:59.039 But if it does happen, I think that's actually where the Holy Spirit works the best. 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:04.080 Because when we have power, we think we can do things on our own and we become less dependent on the Holy Spirit. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:10.000 But when we don't have power, then 2 Corinthians stuff can start to happen, where God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:11.919 That's the theme of that book, all through 2 Corinthians. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:14.559 God's power is made perfect in our weakness. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:19.840 And when we're weak, we depend on Jesus more, and he's able to work through us in a more powerful way. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:23.360 And so I think that possibly that's what the Lord is doing right now. 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:32.799 We've been pushed to the margins, but but he, we also, you know, Peter's writing this as an alien to aliens and saying, guys, this isn't an accident, God's ordained this. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:34.799 So we continue. 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:40.000 It says the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Asia, and Bithhnia. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:42.879 So Peter refers to them as the dispersion. 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:45.200 This is also a Jewish word, the diaspora. 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:47.840 And that this these are the Jews that have been scattered all over the world. 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:50.559 And what Peter's saying to them is, you're part of that now. 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:52.159 You've been grafted in. 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:56.399 Like you're part of God's people now, and you're part of the dispersion. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:58.879 And these places, they're all in modern day Turkey. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:01.039 These are all cities in modern day Turkey. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:03.279 So he's writing to them to encourage them. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:13.120 Uh, as we continue on, he says, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ, and for sprinkling with his blood. 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:15.360 Did you guys notice the Trinity in that passage? 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:17.279 We got the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:18.639 They're all hanging out in that passage. 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.960 You'll see this a lot of places in Scripture, but this is a spot where you see the Trinity. 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:27.039 And he says, according to the foreknowledge of God. 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:34.879 Peter is trying to let these persecuted people know that what's happening to them is not an accident. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.200 Like God's in control of the situation. 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:39.759 God's not surprised by what's happening to them. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:45.440 And I think often people that are going through difficult times, this is something that on the surface, we we think they just need to be encouraged. 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:49.360 We need to say nice stuff to them, but they also need to know that God's in control. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:52.799 And he's sovereign over the situation and they can trust him. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:54.799 I'm reading a book right now. 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:56.399 It's called, I'm not sure what it's called. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:57.919 It's about these two ladies that were imprisoned. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:59.840 I just said it's I should remember. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:02.480 It's called it's about these two ladies that were imprisoned in Iran. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:04.799 So it's something along those lines, is the title. 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:15.919 And uh anyhow, these ladies, what the reason they get in prison is they converted to Christianity from the Muslim faith. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:17.919 And so that's not legal in Iran. 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.639 Uh, number two, they start to share their faith. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:28.159 When people come up to them and ask them about Christianity, they tell them, yeah, we're Christians and they they share the gospel, and they often give people a Bible when people ask and pray for them when people ask. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.759 They only did it when people ask, because that's all that's legal in Iran. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:34.480 Well, the authorities find out about it, they raid their home. 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:36.240 In their home, they find hundreds of Bibles. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:40.960 These ladies are really in deep trouble now because in Iran, you can be executed for this. 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:47.200 And sure enough, Iran ends up sending them to a prison that is the prison where you get tortured and eventually killed. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:48.480 That's what this prison's known for. 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:50.639 It's the most notorious prison in the nation. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:52.639 And so these ladies are there. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:58.320 And what they realize while they're there is that God has ordained this and he has sent them there. 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:03.840 Because what happens in prison, when you're in prison, the other prisoners come up to you and they say, Why are you here? 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:06.159 Do you see what happens for them every single time? 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:10.559 They get to share their faith with every single person they come in contact with. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:15.120 And tons of people in these Iranian prisons end up coming to know Jesus. 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:19.759 They they the people in the prison, they they become known as these ladies that will pray for you. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:23.360 And they become known as these ladies when they pray for you, God actually answers their prayers. 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:25.600 And so they have people coming to them and being like, Will you pray for us? 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:28.480 Because we hear your answer, your God will answer the prayer if you pray. 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:29.519 So will you do that for us? 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:30.879 And and and they do. 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:36.480 One day, um, they end up being uh interrogated by this policeman. 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:43.679 And they're in the room with this guy, and this guy, you know, he's getting mad because they're not listening and they they won't back down and they're still standing for their faith. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:47.600 And he says, You know, I could have you executed tomorrow if I wanted to. 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:50.799 And they look at him and they say, No, you couldn't. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.039 Because God decides when we get executed. 00:13:53.200 --> 00:14:01.600 You might you might execute us tomorrow, but if that happens, it's because it was God's will, but we might not be supposed to die for 10 years, and that would probably be what God has preordained as well. 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:07.840 You don't get to decide when we die, so you can't scare us with that threat because God decides when we die. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:13.679 Do you see how people that are persecuted, this is something they need to understand. 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:15.759 You need to understand that God is in control. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:20.399 So if you're going through difficulty right now, you need to know that God's not caught by surprise by it. 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:23.679 He knew it was coming and he is walking with you through it. 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:27.039 He might not answer your prayers in exactly the time that you want him to. 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:32.399 In fact, the few times I've gone through difficulty in my life, he hasn't answered prayers exactly when I wanted to. 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:35.840 He's let me suffer longer than I thought was even just. 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:39.519 But I can tell you he has been good in the middle of it. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:41.200 You need to trust him. 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.600 Um so foreknowledge of God. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:47.120 God knows what's going on. 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:50.720 The next thing it says is it says, in the sanctification of the Spirit. 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:57.360 Sanctification is a big word, and it just means it's how the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to make us more and more like Jesus. 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:02.559 So we start to love the things that God loves more and more, and we start to hate the things that God hates more and more. 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:04.399 That's that's basically sanctification in our heart. 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:06.960 It's us growing in Christ. 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:14.480 And so again, I think Peter is writing to these persecuted believers, and he's saying, listen, guys, you need to know this isn't an accident. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:20.080 Like God's God's not, it's it's not just that it's not an accident, it's also that God is actually gonna grow you through it. 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:23.519 He's gonna sanctify you through the difficulties that you're facing. 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:30.159 Um I I told you earlier that in my life I've I've tasted suffering just a little bit. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:30.960 I've been so blessed. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:31.840 God's been so good to me. 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:36.480 For me to say I've suffered in my life is a little bit, um, a little bit funny to me because I haven't really suffered. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:40.399 But the few times that I have, here's the question that often comes up in my heart. 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:41.759 I start asking why. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.080 I say, Why are you allowing this, God? 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:47.759 Like, I thought we had a good relationship, I've been obeying you, what's going on? 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:48.480 Did I sin? 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:54.480 Is it like this is the kind of stuff that starts to come up in my heart when I start to go through difficulties? 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:57.919 And I think Peter knows this is gonna come up in their hearts as well. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:07.919 And what Peter is saying is God is working through it, he's gonna grow you, he's doing this for your growth, he's doing it for your growth. 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:12.320 Could I just kind of differentiate between suffering and the consequences of our poor choices for a second? 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:14.559 Because I think as Americans, we struggle with those two. 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:17.120 So, consequences of your poor choices. 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:20.639 If you're in massive credit card debt, that's not suffering. 00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:25.679 That you made a bad choice to go into credit card debt and you're suffering the consequences of your poor choices, okay? 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:26.960 That's not suffering. 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:41.039 Um, maybe you're playing soccer this afternoon and you start talking trash, and you notice the one guy, he's getting pretty mad at your trash talk, and you just say one more thing because you know it's gonna push him over the edge, and it pushes him over the edge and he pops you in the face, you're not suffering. 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:42.960 That's consequences of your poor choices again. 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:43.679 You see? 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.279 Um, but stuff like cancer, that's suffering. 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:52.639 Somebody, if you if you're a kid in school and somebody's making fun of you and you've done nothing to earn it, that's true suffering. 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:54.080 You see the difference between the two. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:59.840 So I want to be careful with that, because I think sometimes people think consequences are bad choices is is suffering. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:05.920 And what God's gonna do is He's gonna use the stuff that you go through to sanctify you, to grow you. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.480 The difficult things you grow through, he's gonna sanctify you through them. 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:09.599 Let me let me give you some examples. 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:13.519 So maybe this week your boss comes to you and he says, I'm gonna give you a raise. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:17.039 And I just wanna, you've been working hard here and I'm gonna give you a raise. 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:20.799 And when when when God allows that to happen in your life, I think that's God ordained. 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:25.119 And I think what God is doing for you is he's gonna sanctify you through that blessing. 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:26.559 And you have a choice now. 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:31.519 You know, it's God kind of asking you, you said that your wallet was mine. 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:33.359 You said that I was the one in control of it. 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:37.200 Am I still the one in control of it now that you got a raise, or do you need to go buy a new boat or a new car? 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:37.839 And that might be fine. 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:41.599 You might be able to buy a new boat or a new car, but like, are you gonna check with me first? 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:45.279 Am I still the boss of your finances, or does that change now that you got a raise? 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:48.880 You see how God will use even good things to sanctify us. 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:50.880 Um, or maybe it's the opposite. 00:17:50.960 --> 00:18:01.039 Maybe you have a coworker at work who's the worst person to work with, they're always complaining, they're always gossiping, they're always upset with the boss, they're upset with you, and you're just completely you're you're done with them. 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:03.920 You you don't want to deal with them anymore, you're even trying to avoid them at work. 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:10.960 Do you realize that God most likely placed that person in your life for your sanctification so that you could grow in him? 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:17.759 He is probably asking you things like, you know, you say all the time that we should love our enemies. 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:19.279 What about them? 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:26.559 You, you know, do you notice that some of the things that they're doing are things that you actually do as well, and that's why it's setting you off? 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:28.160 Let's talk about that. 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:38.960 Um He could also be asking you, you know, you say that you love me, but if you can't love this person you can see, how do you really love me that you can't see? 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:43.759 And God will use these kind of people in our life to challenge us and to grow us. 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:49.359 So the people in this book, they're being sanctified. 00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:58.640 Next it says, for sanctification in the spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ, and for sprinkling with his blood, sprinkling with his blood. 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:05.920 I think there's some foreshadowing here to 2 9 where it says you're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:12.880 I kind of think that at the beginning of the book here, Peter is um, Peter's kind of saying, You guys are all priests. 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:16.640 Like this is the beginning of the book, and Peter's saying, each and every one of you are priests. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:23.119 You know, back in Exodus chapter 29, when Aaron and his sons became priests, the way they were ordained is they sprinkled them with blood. 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:29.279 And this is Peter kind of sprinkling his church audience here with blood and saying, You guys are all called to be priests. 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:37.119 A phrase that you'll hear here in this church is you'll hear pastors around here and just regular attenders of the church will say, I trust your priesthood. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:38.640 This is what we're talking about. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:48.400 We're saying that we trust that God has put the Holy Spirit in you and that you actually have the ability to understand God's word, to pray, to minister to others. 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:51.599 This isn't the Catholic Church where you have to go to a priest to interact with God. 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:57.680 We believe that each and every one of us has the Holy Spirit in us, and that means we have the ability to interact with God on our own. 00:19:57.920 --> 00:19:58.240 Okay? 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:11.759 Another thing that I think Peter is doing here, he's saying you're all priests, but the second thing he's saying is he's reminding them when you get sprinkled with blood, that that's signifying that Christ's blood came and he covered your sin and you've been made righteous in Christ. 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:17.039 That that's true for the believers in this book as well, that they've they've been made righteous in Christ. 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:20.640 They're they're high priests called to lead men in worship to God. 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:28.000 And so when you go to breakfast this week with your friends or something, you're walking in that door, or you're thinking, you know, I'm a priest, I'm called to minister. 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:33.119 And while I'm eating with these guys, I need to be checking in with the Holy Spirit and seeing if he wants me to minister to them or pray for them. 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:34.640 Or do you do you think that? 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:37.440 Do you realize the value of what you carry? 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:44.559 Um, would you say your identity has been more shaped by what God says about you or what the world says about you? 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:48.400 Your identity is it more shaped about what by what God says about you or what the world says about you? 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:50.480 When somebody comes and asks you, who are you? 00:20:50.720 --> 00:21:06.640 Or the first thing that come to mind are you like, well, I'm a branch manager, or I work at McDonald's, or I'm a plumber, or I'm a teacher, or uh maybe you say stuff like I'm a housewife, maybe, maybe I'm not very smart, or I'm not a good person, I always make mistakes, I don't even know if God even likes me. 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:08.559 Is that the kind of stuff that comes out of you? 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:11.680 Some of that stuff's okay, and some of it's completely not even true. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.799 Is that what your primary identity is? 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:18.880 Or is your identity this kind of stuff that you've been sprinkled in his blood? 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:30.079 You you are a great high priest of the most high God, and you're a son or daughter of the king, and and because of his death on the cross, you're you're forgiven and you walk in that now. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:32.640 Which one of those two are you walking in? 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:33.359 Right? 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:36.960 Because God paid a great price for that to be true about you. 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:44.880 And I think because of the price that he paid, we can't we can't allow the people in this world to rob us of our identity in Jesus. 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:51.279 So as as we go through this passage, it's like the joy just kind of builds. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:55.920 Um, Peter says in verse 3, he says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:58.000 You guys see the exclamation point at the end of that sentence? 00:21:58.079 --> 00:21:59.200 This is like Peter just yelling it. 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:04.079 Like he's so Excited about what God's done for him, and he's about to share some really amazing stuff. 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:11.920 And so he continues and he says, according to his great mercy, he's caused us to be born again, caused us to be born again according to his great mercy. 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:13.519 It's an interesting phrase. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:21.119 You know, there's nowhere in scripture where it says anything but God's mercy is why he chose to do what he did for us, right? 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:36.720 Like it doesn't say in scripture that, you know, because you are a Sunday school teacher, or because you lead a community group, or because you lead a discipleship group, or you serve in a kid's ministry, or you serve back at the soundboard, or because you regularly attend church, because of that, that's why God saved you. 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:39.759 Because you did all that good stuff, that's why he chose to save you. 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:41.279 That's not what scripture says. 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:45.119 It says one thing alone is why God saved you, because of his mercy. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:47.119 Like it's just who he is. 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:50.480 I'll try to bring it down into our world a little bit. 00:22:51.119 --> 00:23:01.039 If you, if if you had a friend who's maybe a father and he has a daughter, and he says, according to my mercy and my love for my daughter, I'm gonna spend time with her according to my mercy and love for her. 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:04.000 If he said that, you'd expect he's gonna spend a lot of time with her, right? 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:06.640 Because he probably really loves her, a lot of time's gonna be spent with her. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:14.880 Or if he said, According to my mercy and love, I'm gonna buy a house for my daughter, again, we'd be like, Well, that's probably gonna be a pretty big house because we know he really loves her. 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:23.599 And maybe that's helping us some, but I think the problem with us bringing it down into our world and using human terminology about it is we fluctuate, right? 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:28.319 Like there are days where I'm more merciful than other days, and God's not like that. 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.440 Like there's not a day where God's like, yeah, I'm sorry, I wasn't as merciful today. 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:32.640 Tomorrow I'll try to do better. 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:35.519 He's just merciful, it's just who he is. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:37.440 But see, I'm not. 00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:39.039 Like there's days where I do great. 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:46.160 You know, I'm a wonderful husband, I anticipate the needs of my wife, I wrestle with my kids and have fun with them and read the Bible and lead spiritually and do all this stuff. 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:50.559 But there are other days where I'm not, where I want them to serve me. 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:53.599 I'm like, why is my wife not being kinder to me and more loving? 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:56.079 And with my kids, I'm like, I have I'm too tired. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:58.400 Why do they want me to wrestle with them when I'm so exhausted? 00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:00.400 Why can't they see how tired I am? 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:00.880 Right? 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:04.799 Like my mercy goes up and down according to how connected to God I am. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:06.160 But God's mercy doesn't. 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:08.640 God is just merciful, it's just who He is. 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:12.240 And I think that's really hard for us to grasp, but it's true. 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:18.559 Um in Lamentations 323, it says this about God's mercy. 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:25.039 Here we go. 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:26.000 322. 00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:28.799 The steadfast love of the Lord, it never ceases. 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:31.680 His mercies never come to an end. 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.279 They're new every morning. 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:35.119 Great is your faithfulness. 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:38.559 His mercies never come to an end. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:41.599 God is just merciful. 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:46.000 You know what happens in times of persecution when people are being persecuted? 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:47.200 What do people often do? 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:48.880 They sell out, right? 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:56.079 Like they they come into a situation where it's like they realize if I tell them I'm a believer, I'm not gonna get this business deal. 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:02.000 Or if or if I don't go with my friends and do what they want to do, and like they're not gonna be my friends anymore. 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:06.720 So I'm just gonna pretend for tonight it'll be okay, and I'm just gonna I'm gonna kind of sell out. 00:25:07.119 --> 00:25:11.759 And when you do that, there's there's some shame that comes on you, right? 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:13.920 Because you know that's what you just did. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:15.519 You you know you just sold out. 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:18.799 Do you think that that Peter maybe was pretty familiar with this? 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:22.000 Remember Peter's story? 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:29.119 Uh Jesus came to the disciples one day and he said, Hey guys, you know, I'm gonna die and then I'm I'm gonna rise again. 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:31.680 That's what's gonna happen, that's what's destined for me. 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:35.359 And Peter kind of argues with him about that, and God's like, no, this is it's gonna happen. 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:39.599 And so then Peter, at some point, he kind of accepts it and he's like, Well, I'll be there for you, I'll stay by your side. 00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:40.960 Don't you worry, I'll never deny you. 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:44.880 And and Jesus, when he says that, Jesus is like, No, that's not actually gonna happen. 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:48.559 Actually, tonight, before the rooster crows three times, you're gonna deny me three times. 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:50.720 And Peter's just kind of quiet after that. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:55.440 And sure enough, that night, before the rooster crows three times, Peter denies Jesus three times. 00:25:55.599 --> 00:26:05.359 Now, this wouldn't have been quite as bad if Jesus had just said this to Peter and nobody else was around, but all 12 disciples were there and heard Peter act so tough and say he'd never deny his best friend on earth. 00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:10.559 And then Peter goes and does it, and I'm sure those 12 disciples found out because that kind of news travels fast. 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:15.279 You imagine the shame that Peter must have felt in that moment. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:25.519 And see, if Peter, if he would have, if he would have based his value and his worth on what he did, I think it would have slowly killed him. 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:29.759 But at some point, Peter said, No, I I can never do it. 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:31.839 I can never do enough to earn God's love. 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:33.680 It's just his mercy. 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:39.359 It's just mercy, mercy, mercy that's gonna give me new life. 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:41.680 How are we doing with this? 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:46.799 Um, are we interacting with God on the basis of our works, on the basis of his mercy? 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:51.039 On the basis of what we've done or on the basis of what Christ did on our behalf? 00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:58.480 If you are interacting with God on the basis of what he's done, you're probably a really happy, grateful, pretty wonderful person to be around. 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:01.359 Because you just you can't believe how good God's been to you. 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:08.480 If you're not, you're probably a rather bitter and judgmental person because trying to live according to the law is exhausting. 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:09.519