Sermon

Praise God For Our Future Inheritance

Lakeside Bible Church Sermons

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  1. Last week we looked at Peter's opening greeting here in verses 1 and 2, which functions as a really helpful introduction to the material of the letter.

  2. ! If you remember, he does something specific there that's helpful for us to remember as we work our way through the letter.

  3. He characterizes these Christians as spiritual exiles.

  4. Not meaning that they are being punished by God as exiles for something that they have done.

  5. Not even necessarily meaning that they are physical exiles in the sense of being displaced from a particular community or a particular land.

  6. They're spiritual exiles in the sense that they are strangers in this world.

  7. That's who we are as believers.

  8. We serve a different king.

  9. We belong to a different kingdom.

  10. A different country.

  11. And our time here is purposeful.

  12. It's intentional.

  13. God's glory is to be displayed through us.

  14. But this is never to feel like home.

  15. We are exiles here.

  16. Waiting for our king to return and to take us home.

  17. And of course, such an existence is obviously full of hardships.

  18. And Peter addresses many of those hardships throughout the letter.

  19. But still, the purpose of his writing is not just to show these Christians that they can survive the exile.

  20. It's more than that.

  21. He's writing so that they might understand that they can actually thrive in it.

  22. That you and I, as God's people, we don't have to struggle in the sense of just hoping to make it to the end.

  23. Even though most days feel that way.

  24. No, Peter writes to say, no, there's a way that despite the hardships and despite the temptations and despite the sufferings,

  25. you can actually thrive in this time of exile, in this time as a stranger in the world.

  26. And that's really the purpose of the letter.

  27. By God's grace, that's what we will do.

  28. We'll thrive.

  29. Our text today in verse 3 begins the first major section of the letter which focuses on the call to salvation.

  30. In order to thrive in exile, we must remember who we are in Christ and live our lives in light of that new identity.

  31. And a focus on this gospel identity that's rooted in the person and the work of Jesus Christ will show itself supremely in sincere and joyful worship.

  32. And that's precisely where Peter begins.

  33. Look with me at verses 3 to 5.

  34. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  35. 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.

  36. To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

  37. Kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

  38. Now I want you to notice that Peter's first order of business was not to confront those who were conforming to the world in which they lived.

  39. It wasn't to instruct those on how to handle their persecutors on how to exist in that kind of environment.

  40. That's not the first order of business here.

  41. Instead, Peter's first objective is to call us to worship.

  42. blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ he opens the primary content of the letter

  43. as a matter of first importance peter is recalibrating our focus he's reorienting our

  44. hearts to a sincere and joyful burst of praise to god if you're new to christianity you're just

  45. trying to sort things out there's there's something that you need to notice here in this opening praise

  46. blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ he says he doesn't call us to worship some

  47. generic god in the great unknown this is this is not the god of islam

  48. this is not the god of orthodox judaism this is not a god of any other religion

  49. don't let anybody ever tell you that we're all basically serving the same god we're just all

  50. doing it in a different kind of way that's not true there's a specific thing that peter says here in this

  51. praise that makes it distinctly christian he says that we are to bless our god and father the god

  52. and father of our lord jesus christ in other words the way that we relate to god is through our lord

  53. jesus christ we know him not only in his creation but supremely because he has been revealed in the son

  54. jesus christ it is jesus who reveals the father to us it is jesus who gets us to the father through his

  55. atoning sacrifice christianity fundamentally is us coming to god through the work

  56. of the son and that's who peter calls on us to worship here now why is it so important for peter to start

  57. this way just consider the nature of the condition of these people to whom he was writing he's already

  58. characterized them as exiles that that word is loaded with significance in this letter

  59. as you read through the letter you find that some of them are really facing intense suffering

  60. not just the suffering that all of us face in a fallen world but suffering as specifically because

  61. they are followers of jesus christ that's their circumstances their condition

  62. some of them are battling through temptation at this point because they're they're getting to a point

  63. it's getting really hard to live distinctly in this world it's getting increasingly more difficult for

  64. them to represent their king in this exile they're struggling with sin some of them are struggling with

  65. doubts many of them are just struggling why is it important that peter starts this way for struggling

  66. christians for strangers for strangers in this world worship can very quickly grow cold can't it

  67. the various difficulties that we endure as believers in this life they can overwhelm our joy

  68. they can distract us from the hope that god has given us in christ jesus

  69. and yet peter reminds us right here from the very beginning we were created to worship

  70. that's our purpose

  71. through sin we fall short of that purpose and yet through christ that purpose has been redeemed

  72. god is calling out his people why in order that they might bring him glory

  73. and peter starts right here from the very beginning and he says look i know you're struggling

  74. so why don't we just start with a worship service peter says blessed be the god and father of our lord

  75. jesus christ you know many times what we really need most is not necessarily for our problems to be fixed

  76. or for our circumstances to be changed what we need is for someone

  77. to simply remind us of the glories of the gospel

  78. and call us back to a sincere and joyful praise of god

  79. and we're to be thankful for peter in this in this instance

  80. because many of us are struggling

  81. all of us for different reasons

  82. maybe it's a season of life maybe it's a particular hardship

  83. and yet all of us

  84. who are in christ

  85. can lift this same praise that peter

  86. calls on us to lift

  87. peter helps us here

  88. he lifts our heads he lifts our

  89. hearts to the magnitude

  90. of god's great salvation

  91. now this call to worship it's it's going to run all the way through from verse 3 to verse 12

  92. and it's focused entirely on god's grace and salvation

  93. we are to praise god in other words for the salvation that god has brought us

  94. through jesus christ

  95. there's various ways that we speak about this salvation and they're represented in these

  96. few verses that peter gives us here

  97. sometimes we speak of salvation in the past tense that we

  98. were saved or we have been saved what we mean by that is there was a time in our lives where we were converted

  99. to the gospel of jesus christ to faith in the lord jesus christ the spirit bringing us to life and we trusted in him we say say we're saved past tense

  100. sometimes we speak of our salvation in the present tense don't we

  101. we think of the fact that we are being saved that is by god's gracious work he is sanctifying his people he's purifying us he's making us holy in this life presently

  102. still there's other times we speak of salvation in the future tense one day we will be saved

  103. there is a future dynamic to our salvation an eschatological dimension to our future salvation and that's what

  104. peter has in mind here in verses 3 to 5

  105. this future

  106. this future eschatological reality of salvation and he speaks of it in unique terms he speaks of it here as an inheritance

  107. so believers are to praise god for their future

  108. inheritance peter says an inheritance that does not come in its fullness now an inheritance that is promised to us

  109. and is waiting for us beyond this time of exile

  110. and by doing that by being cognizant of living in light of the gospel by praising god for this future

  111. inheritance

  112. we start this journey

  113. of not surviving the exile

  114. thriving

  115. in the exile

  116. there's three dynamics of this

  117. eternal inheritance that i think

  118. should motivate

  119. our sincere and joyful worship

  120. number one notice

  121. we are to praise god

  122. for the right

  123. to this future inheritance

  124. we're to praise god for the right

  125. to this future

  126. inheritance

  127. look again at verse 3

  128. blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ

  129. according to his great mercy

  130. he has caused us to be born again

  131. to a living hope

  132. through the resurrection of jesus christ

  133. from the dead

  134. and what is it that we have been born again to

  135. he tells us in verse 4

  136. to an

  137. inheritance

  138. now

  139. the concept of inheritance

  140. it isn't foreign to us at all

  141. an inheritance simply is the passing of something from one

  142. generation to

  143. another

  144. sometimes we we speak of an inheritance as inheriting certain

  145. physical characteristics or

  146. personality traits

  147. from our parents right

  148. look around the room at the kids who are here

  149. there's really no question which kids belong to

  150. amy blevins

  151. which kids belong to

  152. jenny allen

  153. which kids belong to

  154. julie blankenship

  155. right there's certain things about them

  156. they inherit

  157. through their parents right

  158. but most of the time when we think of an inheritance

  159. we're not so much thinking of

  160. inheriting certain traits

  161. we're thinking of inheriting possessions or

  162. wealth

  163. and the thing about an inheritance

  164. is that it's not something you can just simply claim for yourself

  165. an inheritance is something that is

  166. given to you

  167. not based on something that you do

  168. not based on

  169. a means of earning

  170. or even something that you deserve

  171. it's based on the virtue of who you are

  172. a birthright

  173. it is given to

  174. sons

  175. and daughters

  176. and this is how Peter speaks of our salvation

  177. in verse

  178. three

  179. it is an inheritance

  180. to be received in full

  181. after

  182. our exile

  183. but what gives us the right

  184. to this eternal inheritance

  185. well he says

  186. it is given to us by virtue

  187. of our birth

  188. not a physical birth

  189. a spiritual

  190. birth

  191. notice what he says

  192. according to his great mercy

  193. God has

  194. caused us

  195. to be born

  196. again

  197. the new birth

  198. the spiritual birth

  199. to an inheritance

  200. we receive

  201. the internal

  202. inheritance

  203. of eternal salvation

  204. by virtue of the new

  205. birth

  206. and that new birth

  207. comes

  208. from God

  209. to receive this salvation

  210. to receive

  211. this inheritance

  212. in other words

  213. you must

  214. be born

  215. again

  216. let's just look a little closer

  217. at how

  218. Peter describes this

  219. first

  220. he

  221. tells us

  222. that the new birth

  223. is

  224. undeserved

  225. and it is undeserved

  226. because it is

  227. according

  228. to God's

  229. great

  230. mercy

  231. do you see that

  232. he says

  233. it is according

  234. to his great

  235. mercy

  236. that he has

  237. caused us

  238. to be born

  239. again

  240. now there is

  241. a lot

  242. of words

  243. Peter could have

  244. used here

  245. he could have

  246. said

  247. that this

  248. was according

  249. to God's

  250. great

  251. kindness

  252. he has

  253. caused us

  254. to be born

  255. again

  256. he could have

  257. said

  258. this is

  259. according

  260. to God's

  261. great

  262. love

  263. that he

  264. has caused

  265. us to be

  266. born

  267. again

  268. both of those

  269. things would be

  270. absolutely

  271. true

  272. but that is

  273. not what

  274. Peter says

  275. why does

  276. he use

  277. mercy

  278. I think

  279. what Peter's

  280. doing is

  281. reminding us

  282. that God

  283. doesn't actually

  284. owe us

  285. anything

  286. by nature

  287. we are not

  288. his children

  289. by nature

  290. we're his

  291. enemies

  292. fallen

  293. in rebellion

  294. dead

  295. in our

  296. trespasses

  297. and sins

  298. he doesn't

  299. owe us

  300. anything

  301. Peter says

  302. you are

  303. born again

  304. today

  305. if you're

  306. a Christian

  307. you're born

  308. again

  309. first

  310. because of

  311. God's

  312. mercy

  313. it's not

  314. because you

  315. deserve it

  316. it's because

  317. he is a

  318. merciful

  319. God

  320. remember

  321. the Bible

  322. tells us

  323. that

  324. apart from

  325. the Lord

  326. Jesus Christ

  327. there is

  328. not a person

  329. on this

  330. planet

  331. who is

  332. truly

  333. righteous

  334. that apart

  335. from God's

  336. gracious

  337. work in

  338. our lives

  339. no one

  340. even

  341. really

  342. seeks

  343. for God

  344. we talk

  345. about

  346. seekers

  347. sometimes

  348. in

  349. Christianity

  350. right

  351. those who

  352. seem to

  353. be seeking

  354. for something

  355. more

  356. seeking

  357. for God

  358. seeking

  359. for

  360. truth

  361. certainly

  362. we want

  363. to have

  364. a category

  365. for that

  366. but

  367. Romans 3

  368. it tells

  369. us

  370. plainly

  371. that no

  372. one

  373. in and

  374. of

  375. themselves

  376. really

  377. even

  378. wants

  379. God

  380. we're

  381. his

  382. enemies

  383. by

  384. nature

  385. what

  386. does it

  387. take

  388. in order

  389. for us

  390. to become

  391. his

  392. children

  393. mercy

  394. mercy

  395. that's

  396. what Shane

  397. read to us

  398. just a

  399. moment ago

  400. in David's

  401. prayer

  402. from Psalm

  403. 51

  404. David

  405. says

  406. have

  407. mercy

  408. on me

  409. oh

  410. God

  411. if

  412. you're

  413. a

  414. Christian

  415. you're

  416. right

  417. to this

  418. future

  419. inheritance

  420. you need

  421. to remember

  422. it's

  423. totally

  424. of God's

  425. great

  426. mercy

  427. and you

  428. know

  429. what

  430. that

  431. should

  432. do

  433. for you

  434. it

  435. should

  436. cause

  437. you

  438. to

  439. join

  440. Peter

  441. in

  442. saying

  443. blessed

  444. to be

  445. the

  446. God

  447. and

  448. Father

  449. of

  450. our

  451. Lord

  452. Jesus

  453. Christ

  454. because

  455. I

  456. don't

  457. deserve

  458. anything

  459. he's

  460. given

  461. me

  462. but

  463. he

  464. is

  465. a

  466. merciful

  467. God

  468. second

  469. Peter

  470. tells

  471. us

  472. that

  473. the

  474. new

  475. birth

  476. is

  477. unearned

  478. it's

  479. undeserved

  480. because

  481. it's

  482. according

  483. to

  484. God's

  485. great

  486. mercy

  487. it's

  488. unearned

  489. because

  490. he

  491. says

  492. God

  493. has

  494. caused

  495. us

  496. to

  497. be

  498. born

  499. again

  500. of

  501. course

  502. we

  503. understand

  504. here

  505. born

  506. again

  507. is

  508. it's

  509. not

  510. a

  511. spiritual

  512. status

  513. that

  514. you

  515. receive

  516. after

  517. completing

  518. a

  519. series

  520. of

  521. steps

  522. along

  523. a

  524. religious

  525. journey

  526. it's

  527. not

  528. something

  529. you

  530. can

  531. choose

  532. it's

  533. not

  534. something

  535. you

  536. can

  537. earn

  538. in

  539. any

  540. sense

  541. of

  542. that

  543. word

  544. again

  545. Ephesians

  546. tells

  547. us

  548. we

  549. are

  550. dead

  551. in

  552. our

  553. trespasses

  554. and

  555. sins

  556. meaning

  557. we

  558. are

  559. utterly

  560. incapable

  561. of

  562. obtaining

  563. spiritual

  564. life

  565. save

  566. that

  567. God

  568. the

  569. living

  570. one

  571. intervenes

  572. and

  573. invades

  574. who

  575. we

  576. are

  577. and

  578. brings

  579. us

  580. to

  581. life

  582. again

  583. this

  584. new

  585. birth

  586. it

  587. is

  588. something

  589. that

  590. happens

  591. to

  592. you

  593. by

  594. God's

  595. gracious

  596. initiative

  597. now

  598. where

  599. exactly

  600. does

  601. Peter

  602. get

  603. this

  604. idea

  605. is

  606. he

  607. just

  608. making

  609. this

  610. up

  611. is

  612. this

  613. just

  614. something

  615. that

  616. he's

  617. brought

  618. to

  619. mind

  620. and

  621. he

  622. thinks

  623. that

  624. maybe

  625. this

  626. is

  627. his

  628. interpretation

  629. on

  630. things

  631. related

  632. to

  633. the

  634. gospel

  635. and

  636. the

  637. way

  638. that

  639. God

  640. works

  641. so

  642. he

  643. decides

  644. he's

  645. going

  646. to

  647. throw

  648. this

  649. little

  650. phrase

  651. in

  652. there

  653. to

  654. trip

  655. us

  656. up

  657. no

  658. you

  659. know

  660. he

  661. gets

  662. this

  663. from

  664. Jesus

  665. doesn't

  666. he

  667. that

  668. great

  669. conversation

  670. that we

  671. read in

  672. John chapter

  673. three

  674. of

  675. Jesus

  676. with

  677. Nicodemus

  678. Jesus

  679. plainly

  680. tells

  681. Nicodemus

  682. he says

  683. unless

  684. you're

  685. born

  686. again

  687. you can't

  688. see

  689. the

  690. kingdom

  691. of

  692. God

  693. seeing

  694. the

  695. kingdom

  696. of

  697. God

  698. in

  699. Jesus

  700. words

  701. there

  702. is

  703. the

  704. same

  705. thing

  706. that

  707. Peter

  708. is

  709. saying

  710. when

  711. he

  712. talks

  713. about

  714. an

  715. eternal

  716. inheritance

  717. Jesus

  718. speaking

  719. of

  720. the

  721. kingdom

  722. same

  723. thing

  724. he's

  725. talking

  726. about

  727. salvation

  728. he's

  729. talking

  730. about

  731. eternal

  732. life

  733. and

  734. Jesus

  735. tells

  736. Nicodemus

  737. unless

  738. you're

  739. born

  740. again

  741. you

  742. can't

  743. have

  744. salvation

  745. and

  746. do you

  747. remember

  748. what

  749. Nicodemus

  750. response

  751. was

  752. how

  753. is

  754. it

  755. possible

  756. do

  757. I

  758. have

  759. to

  760. go

  761. back

  762. into

  763. my

  764. mother's

  765. womb

  766. how

  767. is

  768. this

  769. actually

  770. possible

  771. I

  772. don't

  773. think

  774. Nicodemus

  775. was

  776. confused

  777. about

  778. what

  779. Jesus

  780. was

  781. saying

  782. he

  783. was

  784. a

  785. rabbinical

  786. teacher

  787. I

  788. think

  789. this

  790. probably

  791. was

  792. maybe

  793. an

  794. analogy

  795. that

  796. some

  797. rabbis

  798. would

  799. have

  800. used

  801. for

  802. different

  803. spiritual

  804. truths

  805. I

  806. don't

  807. think

  808. he's

  809. that

  810. disconnected

  811. from

  812. what

  813. Jesus

  814. is

  815. saying

  816. about

  817. the

  818. new

  819. birth

  820. I

  821. think

  822. his

  823. question

  824. is

  825. actually

  826. just

  827. to

  828. say

  829. how

  830. can

  831. I

  832. be

  833. born

  834. again

  835. if

  836. a

  837. new

  838. birth

  839. is

  840. what

  841. I

  842. need

  843. to

  844. see

  845. the

  846. kingdom

  847. how

  848. do

  849. I

  850. get

  851. that

  852. I

  853. know

  854. I

  855. can't

  856. go

  857. Nicodemus

  858. as

  859. the

  860. Lord

  861. is

  862. working

  863. on

  864. his

  865. heart

  866. as

  867. the

  868. spirit

  869. is

  870. working

  871. on

  872. his

  873. heart

  874. he

  875. already

  876. seems

  877. to be

  878. putting

  879. some

  880. of

  881. the

  882. pieces

  883. together

  884. I

  885. can't

  886. do

  887. this

  888. for

  889. myself

  890. and

  891. you

  892. remember

  893. how

  894. Jesus

  895. responds

  896. to

  897. that

  898. he

  899. says

  900. you

  901. know

  902. Nicodemus

  903. that

  904. which

  905. is

  906. born

  907. of

  908. flesh

  909. is

  910. flesh

  911. and

  912. that

  913. which

  914. is

  915. born

  916. that

  917. way

  918. doesn't

  919. receive

  920. the

  921. kingdom

  922. of

  923. God

  924. but

  925. that

  926. which

  927. is

  928. you

  929. know

  930. Nicodemus

  931. the

  932. spirit

  933. is

  934. like

  935. the

  936. wind

  937. you

  938. can't

  939. control

  940. him

  941. and

  942. you

  943. can't

  944. exactly

  945. discern

  946. everything

  947. that

  948. it's

  949. doing

  950. but

  951. the

  952. spirit

  953. he

  954. comes

  955. in

  956. and

  957. he

  958. he

  959. blows

  960. in

  961. with

  962. great

  963. effect

  964. and

  965. what

  966. is

  967. that

  968. effect

  969. faith

  970. in

  971. the

  972. Lord

  973. Jesus

  974. Christ

  975. and

  976. what

  977. is

  978. it

  979. based

  980. on

  981. not

  982. something

  983. that

  984. Nicodemus

  985. could

  986. do

  987. not

  988. something

  989. that

  990. Nicodemus

  991. chose

  992. but

  993. on

  994. the

  995. saving

  996. initiative

  997. of

  998. through

  999. the

  1000. work

  1001. of

  1002. the

  1003. Holy

  1004. Spirit

  1005. this

  1006. new

  1007. birth

  1008. it's

  1009. it's

  1010. undeserved

  1011. it's

  1012. according

  1013. to

  1014. God's

  1015. great

  1016. mercy

  1017. it's

  1018. unearned

  1019. because

  1020. it is

  1021. God

  1022. who

  1023. has

  1024. caused

  1025. us

  1026. to

  1027. be

  1028. born

  1029. again

  1030. and

  1031. third

  1032. we

  1033. find

  1034. here

  1035. that

  1036. the

  1037. new

  1038. birth

  1039. is

  1040. unmistakable

  1041. when

  1042. it

  1043. happens

  1044. it

  1045. can't

  1046. be

  1047. denied

  1048. why

  1049. because

  1050. it

  1051. results

  1052. in a

  1053. living

  1054. hope

  1055. through

  1056. the

  1057. resurrection

  1058. of

  1059. Jesus

  1060. Christ

  1061. from

  1062. the

  1063. dead

  1064. now

  1065. how

  1066. exactly

  1067. does

  1068. God

  1069. accomplish

  1070. this

  1071. work

  1072. of

  1073. the

  1074. new

  1075. birth

  1076. how

  1077. do

  1078. we

  1079. experience

  1080. it

  1081. what

  1082. is

  1083. its

  1084. effect

  1085. we

  1086. understand

  1087. theologically

  1088. there's

  1089. these

  1090. things

  1091. that are

  1092. happening

  1093. but

  1094. what

  1095. does it

  1096. actually

  1097. look

  1098. like

  1099. how

  1100. do

  1101. we

  1102. actually

  1103. come

  1104. to

  1105. be

  1106. born

  1107. again

  1108. now

  1109. Peter

  1110. helps

  1111. us

  1112. a

  1113. little

  1114. bit

  1115. later

  1116. in

  1117. the

  1118. chapter

  1119. just

  1120. set

  1121. your

  1122. eyes

  1123. on

  1124. verse

  1125. 23

  1126. he

  1127. uses

  1128. this

  1129. terminology

  1130. again

  1131. Peter

  1132. says

  1133. since

  1134. you

  1135. have

  1136. been

  1137. born

  1138. again

  1139. not

  1140. of

  1141. perishable

  1142. seed

  1143. but

  1144. of

  1145. imperishable

  1146. that

  1147. is

  1148. the

  1149. spiritual

  1150. birth

  1151. not

  1152. a

  1153. physical

  1154. birth

  1155. through

  1156. the

  1157. living

  1158. and

  1159. abiding

  1160. word

  1161. of

  1162. God

  1163. now

  1164. look

  1165. at

  1166. verse

  1167. 25

  1168. and

  1169. this

  1170. word

  1171. is

  1172. the

  1173. good

  1174. news

  1175. that

  1176. was

  1177. preached

  1178. to

  1179. you

  1180. so

  1181. what

  1182. is

  1183. Peter

  1184. saying

  1185. there

  1186. he's

  1187. helping

  1188. us

  1189. to

  1190. understand

  1191. how

  1192. this

  1193. actually

  1194. happens

  1195. how

  1196. does

  1197. God

  1198. bring

  1199. about

  1200. the

  1201. new

  1202. birth

  1203. that

  1204. is

  1205. undeserved

  1206. !

  1207. and

  1208. unearned

  1209. well

  1210. he

  1211. does

  1212. it

  1213. through

  1214. the

  1215. preaching

  1216. of

  1217. the

  1218. gospel

  1219. that

  1220. as

  1221. the

  1222. gospel

  1223. is

  1224. proclaimed

  1225. the

  1226. spirit

  1227. of

  1228. God

  1229. the

  1230. wind

  1231. blows

  1232. God's

  1233. spirit

  1234. comes

  1235. in

  1236. and

  1237. brings

  1238. us

  1239. to

  1240. life

  1241. and

  1242. that

  1243. results

  1244. in

  1245. faith

  1246. in

  1247. the

  1248. gospel

  1249. message

  1250. the

  1251. gospel

  1252. is

  1253. preached

  1254. the

  1255. spirit

  1256. regenerates

  1257. and brings

  1258. to

  1259. life

  1260. there's

  1261. new

  1262. birth

  1263. and

  1264. that

  1265. is

  1266. affecting

  1267. a

  1268. living

  1269. hope

  1270. a

  1271. saving

  1272. faith

  1273. rooted

  1274. in the

  1275. resurrection

  1276. of the

  1277. Lord

  1278. Jesus

  1279. Christ

  1280. from

  1281. the

  1282. dead

  1283. now

  1284. the

  1285. theological

  1286. progression

  1287. here

  1288. is

  1289. important

  1290. it

  1291. shouldn't

  1292. be

  1293. overlooked

  1294. it's

  1295. the

  1296. very

  1297. thing

  1298. that's

  1299. actually

  1300. driving

  1301. Peter's

  1302. call

  1303. to

  1304. worship

  1305. God's

  1306. mercy

  1307. comes

  1308. to

  1309. us

  1310. through

  1311. the

  1312. preaching

  1313. of

  1314. the

  1315. gospel

  1316. he

  1317. causes

  1318. us

  1319. to

  1320. be

  1321. born

  1322. again

  1323. by

  1324. the

  1325. spirit

  1326. and

  1327. the

  1328. result

  1329. of

  1330. that

  1331. new

  1332. birth

  1333. is

  1334. a

  1335. living

  1336. hope

  1337. and

  1338. faith

  1339. in

  1340. the

  1341. Lord

  1342. Jesus

  1343. Christ

  1344. so

  1345. what's

  1346. Peter's

  1347. main

  1348. point

  1349. then

  1350. his

  1351. point

  1352. is

  1353. that

  1354. Christians

  1355. are

  1356. to

  1357. praise

  1358. God

  1359. because

  1360. his

  1361. great

  1362. mercy

  1363. he's

  1364. caused

  1365. us

  1366. to

  1367. be

  1368. born

  1369. again

  1370. to

  1371. a

  1372. living

  1373. hope

  1374. so

  1375. that

  1376. we

  1377. might

  1378. have

  1379. the

  1380. right

  1381. to

  1382. this

  1383. future

  1384. inheritance

  1385. not

  1386. on the

  1387. basis

  1388. of

  1389. something

  1390. we've

  1391. done

  1392. but

  1393. on

  1394. the

  1395. basis

  1396. of

  1397. who

  1398. we

  1399. are

  1400. in

  1401. Christ

  1402. we

  1403. are

  1404. his

  1405. therefore

  1406. we

  1407. are

  1408. to

  1409. praise

  1410. God

  1411. even

  1412. in

  1413. the

  1414. hardest

  1415. parts

  1416. of

  1417. our

  1418. exile

  1419. number

  1420. two

  1421. we're

  1422. to

  1423. praise

  1424. God

  1425. for

  1426. the

  1427. right

  1428. to

  1429. the

  1430. future

  1431. inheritance

  1432. secondly

  1433. we're

  1434. to

  1435. praise

  1436. God

  1437. for

  1438. the

  1439. quality

  1440. of

  1441. the

  1442. future

  1443. inheritance

  1444. look at

  1445. verse

  1446. four

  1447. he has

  1448. caused

  1449. us to

  1450. be born

  1451. again

  1452. to

  1453. an

  1454. inheritance

  1455. and then

  1456. he describes

  1457. the

  1458. inheritance

  1459. that is

  1460. imperishable

  1461. undefiled

  1462. and

  1463. unfading

  1464. kept

  1465. in

  1466. heaven

  1467. for

  1468. you

  1469. now what

  1470. exactly is

  1471. this

  1472. inheritance

  1473. that's being

  1474. kept

  1475. for

  1476. us

  1477. that's

  1478. eternal

  1479. life

  1480. salvation

  1481. what was

  1482. it that

  1483. Jesus

  1484. said

  1485. he said

  1486. I have

  1487. come

  1488. that they

  1489. may

  1490. have

  1491. life

  1492. and

  1493. that

  1494. they

  1495. may

  1496. have

  1497. life

  1498. abundant

  1499. John

  1500. in

  1501. John

  1502. chapter

  1503. three

  1504. writes

  1505. whoever

  1506. believes

  1507. in him

  1508. shall

  1509. not

  1510. perish

  1511. but

  1512. have

  1513. everlasting

  1514. life

  1515. what is

  1516. this

  1517. future

  1518. inheritance

  1519. It is

  1520. an

  1521. eternal

  1522. life

  1523. that

  1524. is

  1525. the

  1526. living

  1527. hope

  1528. that

  1529. is

  1530. found

  1531. in

  1532. the

  1533. resurrection

  1534. of

  1535. Jesus

  1536. Christ

  1537. it's

  1538. not

  1539. just

  1540. that

  1541. this

  1542. is

  1543. a

  1544. spiritual

  1545. life

  1546. it's

  1547. even

  1548. a

  1549. physical

  1550. life

  1551. because

  1552. he

  1553. rose

  1554. from

  1555. the

  1556. dead

  1557. so

  1558. will

  1559. all

  1560. who

  1561. are

  1562. in

  1563. him

  1564. by

  1565. faith

  1566. because

  1567. his

  1568. resurrection

  1569. was a

  1570. bodily

  1571. resurrection

  1572. so

  1573. will

  1574. our

  1575. resurrection

  1576. be

  1577. a

  1578. bodily

  1579. resurrection

  1580. that's

  1581. the

  1582. nature

  1583. of

  1584. this

  1585. life

  1586. but

  1587. what's

  1588. the

  1589. quality

  1590. of

  1591. it

  1592. it's

  1593. unlike

  1594. anything

  1595. that we

  1596. have

  1597. or ever

  1598. will

  1599. experience

  1600. here

  1601. in

  1602. this

  1603. life

  1604. I

  1605. think

  1606. it's

  1607. beyond

  1608. what we

  1609. can

  1610. really

  1611. comprehend

  1612. end

  1613. which

  1614. I

  1615. think

  1616. is

  1617. why

  1618. David

  1619. Helms

  1620. said

  1621. Peter

  1622. finds

  1623. it

  1624. difficult

  1625. to

  1626. find

  1627. words

  1628. to

  1629. do

  1630. justice

  1631. in

  1632. capturing

  1633. the

  1634. greatness

  1635. of

  1636. this

  1637. future

  1638. inheritance

  1639. !

  1640. So

  1641. in

  1642. describing

  1643. it

  1644. he

  1645. can

  1646. do

  1647. no

  1648. better

  1649. than

  1650. use

  1651. three

  1652. words

  1653. that

  1654. tell

  1655. us

  1656. what

  1657. it's

  1658. not

  1659. it's

  1660. not

  1661. that

  1662. he

  1663. has

  1664. all

  1665. of

  1666. this

  1667. language

  1668. to

  1669. tell

  1670. us

  1671. what

  1672. it

  1673. will

  1674. be

  1675. like

  1676. !

  1677. it's

  1678. but

  1679. he

  1680. can

  1681. certainly

  1682. point

  1683. to

  1684. a few

  1685. things

  1686. to

  1687. say

  1688. this

  1689. is

  1690. what

  1691. it

  1692. won't

  1693. be

  1694. like

  1695. he

  1696. gives

  1697. us

  1698. three

  1699. first

  1700. he

  1701. says

  1702. it's

  1703. imperishable

  1704. that

  1705. is

  1706. it's

  1707. not

  1708. able

  1709. to

  1710. be

  1711. destroyed

  1712. Christ

  1713. having

  1714. died

  1715. for

  1716. sin

  1717. will

  1718. never

  1719. die

  1720. again

  1721. and

  1722. if

  1723. our

  1724. life

  1725. is

  1726. hidden

  1727. in

  1728. Christ

  1729. Jesus

  1730. then

  1731. that

  1732. means

  1733. that

  1734. in

  1735. the

  1736. new

  1737. life

  1738. we

  1739. will

  1740. never

  1741. die

  1742. again

  1743. it

  1744. can't

  1745. be

  1746. destroyed

  1747. it's

  1748. it

  1749. means

  1750. it's

  1751. not

  1752. corrupted

  1753. it's

  1754. not

  1755. polluted

  1756. we're

  1757. thinking

  1758. about

  1759. our

  1760. sin

  1761. nature

  1762. at

  1763. this

  1764. point

  1765. and

  1766. original

  1767. sin

  1768. and

  1769. how

  1770. even

  1771. in

  1772. exile

  1773. as

  1774. believers

  1775. with

  1776. a new

  1777. identity

  1778. in

  1779. Christ

  1780. we

  1781. still

  1782. wrestle

  1783. with

  1784. our

  1785. flesh

  1786. and

  1787. temptation

  1788. and

  1789. Peter

  1790. says

  1791. this

  1792. new

  1793. life

  1794. I

  1795. don't

  1796. know

  1797. exactly

  1798. all

  1799. that

  1800. it's

  1801. going

  1802. to

  1803. be

  1804. but

  1805. I

  1806. can

  1807. tell

  1808. you

  1809. it

  1810. will

  1811. be

  1812. undefiled

  1813. it

  1814. will

  1815. not

  1816. be

  1817. corrupted

  1818. by

  1819. sin

  1820. it

  1821. will

  1822. not

  1823. be

  1824. polluted

  1825. by

  1826. a

  1827. sinful

  1828. nature

  1829. and

  1830. then

  1831. third

  1832. he

  1833. says

  1834. it's

  1835. unfading

  1836. meaning

  1837. it's

  1838. it's

  1839. not

  1840. subject

  1841. to

  1842. decay

  1843. it

  1844. won't

  1845. fade

  1846. away

  1847. this

  1848. may

  1849. just

  1850. sound

  1851. like

  1852. three

  1853. basic

  1854. synonyms

  1855. but I

  1856. think

  1857. Peter

  1858. is

  1859. doing

  1860. something

  1861. particular

  1862. here

  1863. by way

  1864. of

  1865. contrast

  1866. he's

  1867. helping

  1868. us

  1869. to

  1870. grasp

  1871. the

  1872. beauty

  1873. and

  1874. the

  1875. quality

  1876. of

  1877. the

  1878. life

  1879. that

  1880. is

  1881. being

  1882. kept

  1883. for

  1884. us

  1885. heaven

  1886. here

  1887. in

  1888. exile

  1889. our

  1890. lives

  1891. can

  1892. be

  1893. destroyed

  1894. through

  1895. great

  1896. suffering

  1897. and

  1898. persecution

  1899. but in

  1900. heaven

  1901. we will

  1902. inherit

  1903. a life

  1904. that cannot

  1905. be

  1906. destroyed

  1907. that's

  1908. our

  1909. inheritance

  1910. here

  1911. in

  1912. exile

  1913. our

  1914. lives

  1915. are

  1916. corrupted

  1917. by

  1918. sin

  1919. as we

  1920. battle

  1921. against

  1922. the

  1923. flesh

  1924. but in

  1925. heaven

  1926. we will

  1927. not only

  1928. be free

  1929. from the

  1930. power

  1931. of sin

  1932. we will

  1933. be free

  1934. from the

  1935. presence

  1936. of sin

  1937. no longer

  1938. corrupted

  1939. by the

  1940. nature

  1941. we inherited

  1942. from

  1943. Adam

  1944. that's

  1945. our

  1946. inheritance

  1947. here

  1948. in

  1949. exile

  1950. our

  1951. bodies

  1952. are

  1953. subject

  1954. to

  1955. decay

  1956. fading

  1957. on and

  1958. on

  1959. as the

  1960. years

  1961. go

  1962. by

  1963. you

  1964. know

  1965. what

  1966. this

  1967. is

  1968. like

  1969. we

  1970. can

  1971. look

  1972. around

  1973. we're

  1974. praying

  1975. for

  1976. for

  1977. Bob

  1978. we're

  1979. praying

  1980. for

  1981. Marty

  1982. they

  1983. know

  1984. they

  1985. know

  1986. immediately

  1987. exactly

  1988. what

  1989. the

  1990. hope

  1991. is

  1992. that

  1993. Peter

  1994. is

  1995. giving

  1996. to

  1997. Christians

  1998. when

  1999. he

  2000. says

  2001. this

  2002. new

  2003. life

  2004. will

  2005. be

  2006. unfading

  2007. it

  2008. won't

  2009. decay

  2010. we'll

  2011. be in

  2012. a place

  2013. and we'll

  2014. experience

  2015. a life

  2016. an eternal

  2017. body

  2018. that will

  2019. never

  2020. again

  2021. endure

  2022. sickness

  2023. and cancer

  2024. and pain

  2025. or decay

  2026. of any

  2027. kind

  2028. that's

  2029. our

  2030. inheritance

  2031. Peter

  2032. says

  2033. it's

  2034. imperishable

  2035. it's

  2036. undefiled

  2037. it's

  2038. unfading

  2039. and God

  2040. is keeping

  2041. it

  2042. just as

  2043. it is

  2044. for you

  2045. what an

  2046. incredible

  2047. encouragement

  2048. this must

  2049. have been

  2050. to these

  2051. Christians

  2052. in

  2053. Asia

  2054. what a

  2055. joy

  2056. it must

  2057. have brought

  2058. to their

  2059. hearts

  2060. to think

  2061. about

  2062. what was

  2063. waiting

  2064. for them

  2065. beyond

  2066. their

  2067. exile

  2068. what a

  2069. joy

  2070. for us

  2071. Andrew

  2072. Wilson

  2073. published

  2074. an article

  2075. with the

  2076. gospel

  2077. coalition

  2078. this week

  2079. it was

  2080. so good

  2081. it was

  2082. basically

  2083. a book

  2084. review

  2085. of two

  2086. secular

  2087. books

  2088. that were

  2089. recently

  2090. written

  2091. that were

  2092. really

  2093. looking

  2094. back

  2095. on

  2096. sociologically

  2097. on the

  2098. nature

  2099. of what

  2100. we have

  2101. experienced

  2102. over

  2103. maybe the

  2104. last

  2105. 15 to

  2106. 20 years

  2107. one of

  2108. them

  2109. focuses

  2110. especially

  2111. on the

  2112. summer

  2113. of 2020

  2114. which is

  2115. a summer

  2116. that probably

  2117. all of us

  2118. would love

  2119. to forget

  2120. about

  2121. and he's

  2122. bringing

  2123. various events

  2124. to the

  2125. surface

  2126. right

  2127. global

  2128. pandemic

  2129. contentious

  2130. political

  2131. election

  2132. the death

  2133. of George

  2134. Floyd

  2135. so on

  2136. and so

  2137. forth

  2138. things just

  2139. are exacerbated

  2140. from there

  2141. it gets worse

  2142. and worse

  2143. and there's

  2144. all of this

  2145. carry over

  2146. from that

  2147. sociologically

  2148. in the

  2149. life that

  2150. we're living

  2151. today

  2152. the other

  2153. book is

  2154. it's called

  2155. We Were

  2156. Never Woke

  2157. and basically

  2158. it's not a

  2159. Christian book

  2160. it's not even

  2161. really a

  2162. conservative book

  2163. but it's

  2164. looking back

  2165. really going

  2166. all the way

  2167. back to

  2168. 2008

  2169. and it's

  2170. examining

  2171. what has

  2172. led us

  2173. to this

  2174. moment

  2175. and it

  2176. talks about

  2177. social

  2178. capital

  2179. that really

  2180. the wokeness

  2181. that is being

  2182. portrayed

  2183. if that's the

  2184. word you

  2185. want to

  2186. use

  2187. it's not

  2188. legitimate

  2189. that if we

  2190. just look at

  2191. the data

  2192. what's behind

  2193. this is not

  2194. legitimate

  2195. and Andrew

  2196. Wilson he

  2197. writes and

  2198. he says

  2199. both of

  2200. these books

  2201. are worth

  2202. reading

  2203. and he

  2204. says the

  2205. glaring

  2206. weakness

  2207. in both

  2208. books

  2209. though

  2210. is that

  2211. for all

  2212. of the

  2213. devastation

  2214. that they

  2215. present

  2216. for all

  2217. of the

  2218. triggers

  2219. that they

  2220. present

  2221. probably

  2222. for some

  2223. of us

  2224. mentally

  2225. and emotionally

  2226. they don't

  2227. offer a

  2228. single

  2229. piece

  2230. of hope

  2231. no hope

  2232. for the

  2233. future

  2234. no hope

  2235. that things

  2236. will get

  2237. better

  2238. and everybody's

  2239. looking for

  2240. hope

  2241. and we'll

  2242. try to find

  2243. it anywhere

  2244. we can

  2245. we'll look

  2246. for it in

  2247. politics

  2248. we'll look

  2249. for it in

  2250. education

  2251. we'll look

  2252. for it in

  2253. wealth

  2254. or in our

  2255. careers

  2256. we'll look

  2257. for it in

  2258. friendships

  2259. and relationships

  2260. we'll look

  2261. for it in

  2262. family

  2263. we'll look

  2264. for it in

  2265. all these

  2266. places

  2267. and all of

  2268. those things

  2269. are empty

  2270. hopes

  2271. they're not

  2272. living

  2273. hopes

  2274. and then

  2275. Peter comes

  2276. alongside

  2277. those of

  2278. us who

  2279. have experienced

  2280. this in the

  2281. last few

  2282. years of our

  2283. life

  2284. all of us

  2285. together

  2286. just by

  2287. virtue of

  2288. existing

  2289. in the

  2290. United States

  2291. the last

  2292. five years

  2293. and we say

  2294. you know what

  2295. I don't have

  2296. a hope

  2297. here

  2298. but I do

  2299. have a

  2300. certain hope

  2301. ahead

  2302. and it

  2303. fills me

  2304. with joy

  2305. which should

  2306. lead us to

  2307. burst with

  2308. praise

  2309. why

  2310. because the

  2311. inheritance

  2312. that we

  2313. have

  2314. is of

  2315. a quality

  2316. that we

  2317. could never

  2318. even imagine

  2319. it's imperishable

  2320. it's undefiled

  2321. it's unfading

  2322. and God is

  2323. keeping it for

  2324. you

  2325. and it will

  2326. be yours

  2327. third

  2328. we're to

  2329. praise God

  2330. for the

  2331. certainty

  2332. of the

  2333. future

  2334. inheritance

  2335. so we're

  2336. praising God

  2337. for the

  2338. right to

  2339. it

  2340. he has

  2341. caused

  2342. us to

  2343. be born

  2344. again

  2345. we're

  2346. praising

  2347. God

  2348. for the

  2349. quality

  2350. of it

  2351. all of

  2352. the things

  2353. that Peter

  2354. just mentioned

  2355. in verse

  2356. four

  2357. and then we

  2358. get to the

  2359. end and we

  2360. say okay

  2361. we're to

  2362. praise God

  2363. for the

  2364. certainty

  2365. of it

  2366. the

  2367. difficulties

  2368. that we

  2369. experience

  2370. when thinking

  2371. about this

  2372. inheritance

  2373. as exiles

  2374. here

  2375. is coming

  2376. to terms

  2377. with the

  2378. fact that

  2379. it is

  2380. actually

  2381. indeed

  2382. future

  2383. it's

  2384. kept in

  2385. heaven

  2386. Peter

  2387. says in

  2388. verse

  2389. four

  2390. it's

  2391. a salvation

  2392. ready to

  2393. be revealed

  2394. not today

  2395. maybe not

  2396. tomorrow

  2397. but in the

  2398. last time

  2399. the return

  2400. of the

  2401. Lord Jesus

  2402. Christ

  2403. and that's

  2404. hard isn't

  2405. it

  2406. because life

  2407. hits pretty

  2408. hard now

  2409. this time

  2410. of exile

  2411. can be

  2412. seriously

  2413. difficult

  2414. and we

  2415. may begin

  2416. to wonder

  2417. about the

  2418. certainty

  2419. of what

  2420. God has

  2421. promised

  2422. we may

  2423. be plagued

  2424. with doubts

  2425. about whether

  2426. or not we

  2427. can even

  2428. make it

  2429. to the

  2430. end

  2431. still

  2432. believing

  2433. and it

  2434. is the

  2435. certainty

  2436. of those

  2437. that those

  2438. who are born

  2439. again will

  2440. receive this

  2441. eternal salvation

  2442. that Peter

  2443. takes up in

  2444. this final

  2445. statement

  2446. and once

  2447. again

  2448. he rested

  2449. all

  2450. ultimately

  2451. on the

  2452. power of

  2453. God

  2454. at work

  2455. in us

  2456. look again

  2457. at verse

  2458. five

  2459. it is

  2460. kept in

  2461. heaven

  2462. for you

  2463. who by

  2464. God's

  2465. power

  2466. are being

  2467. guarded

  2468. through

  2469. faith

  2470. for a

  2471. salvation

  2472. ready to

  2473. be revealed

  2474. in the

  2475. last time

  2476. how can

  2477. we be

  2478. sure

  2479. that this

  2480. inheritance

  2481. is ours

  2482. how can

  2483. we be

  2484. certain

  2485. that we

  2486. will truly

  2487. inherit this

  2488. kind of life

  2489. in eternity

  2490. well the

  2491. necessity

  2492. of faith

  2493. cannot be

  2494. overlooked

  2495. in this

  2496. verse

  2497. Peter makes

  2498. it clear

  2499. that we

  2500. are being

  2501. guarded

  2502. through

  2503. faith

  2504. faith

  2505. here is a

  2506. continuing

  2507. trust

  2508. in the

  2509. Lord Jesus

  2510. Jesus

  2511. Tom

  2512. Schreiner

  2513. said

  2514. Peter does

  2515. not conceive

  2516. of a

  2517. faith

  2518. of faith

  2519. as a

  2520. single

  2521. isolated

  2522. act

  2523. genuine

  2524. faith

  2525. persists

  2526. he says

  2527. until the

  2528. day of

  2529. redemption

  2530. there is

  2531. no salvation

  2532. apart from

  2533. continuing

  2534. faith

  2535. and thus

  2536. faith is a

  2537. condition

  2538. for obtaining

  2539. the eschatological

  2540. inheritance

  2541. but look back

  2542. at the verse

  2543. and Schreiner

  2544. is exactly

  2545. right

  2546. but look

  2547. back at

  2548. the verse

  2549. notice

  2550. who is

  2551. guarding

  2552. this faith

  2553. that you

  2554. are being

  2555. guarded by

  2556. God's

  2557. power

  2558. through

  2559. faith

  2560. which leads

  2561. Schreiner

  2562. to then say

  2563. 1 Peter 1

  2564. 5 contains

  2565. a remarkable

  2566. promise

  2567. God's

  2568. power

  2569. protects

  2570. us

  2571. because

  2572. his

  2573. power

  2574. is the

  2575. means

  2576. by which

  2577. our

  2578. faith

  2579. is

  2580. sustained

  2581. our

  2582. assurance

  2583. then

  2584. and our

  2585. certainty

  2586. then

  2587. it rest

  2588. ultimately

  2589. not on

  2590. who we

  2591. are

  2592. what we're

  2593. doing

  2594. it rest

  2595. ultimately

  2596. on the

  2597. power

  2598. of God

  2599. to guard

  2600. us

  2601. to the

  2602. very

  2603. end

  2604. we've

  2605. sung

  2606. about it

  2607. over

  2608. and over

  2609. this

  2610. morning

  2611. in the

  2612. various

  2613. songs

  2614. that

  2615. this

  2616. salvation

  2617. comes

  2618. from

  2619. God

  2620. it is

  2621. given

  2622. to us

  2623. by God

  2624. and we

  2625. are

  2626. kept

  2627. by God

  2628. for it

  2629. so what's

  2630. the point

  2631. here

  2632. what is

  2633. Peter

  2634. saying

  2635. well you

  2636. can take

  2637. courage

  2638. in the

  2639. certainty

  2640. that you

  2641. will receive

  2642. this

  2643. inheritance

  2644. because the

  2645. same God

  2646. who is

  2647. keeping it

  2648. in heaven

  2649. is keeping

  2650. you

  2651. until the

  2652. time

  2653. that he

  2654. sees fit

  2655. to reveal

  2656. it

  2657. salvation

  2658. is being

  2659. kept

  2660. for us

  2661. and we

  2662. are being

  2663. kept

  2664. for it

  2665. therefore

  2666. bless

  2667. be the

  2668. God

  2669. and father

  2670. of our

  2671. Lord

  2672. Jesus

  2673. Christ

  2674. because he

  2675. has caused

  2676. us to be

  2677. born again

  2678. to an

  2679. inheritance

  2680. that's

  2681. imperishable

  2682. and it's

  2683. kept in

  2684. heaven for

  2685. us

  2686. who by

  2687. his power

  2688. are being

  2689. guarded

  2690. through

  2691. faith

  2692. so that

  2693. we will

  2694. actually

  2695. receive

  2696. the

  2697. inheritance

  2698. that he

  2699. has

  2700. promised

  2701. lost

  2702. we sing

  2703. it from

  2704. time to

  2705. time

  2706. he'll not

  2707. let my

  2708. soul be

  2709. lost

  2710. his promises

  2711. shall last

  2712. bought by

  2713. him at

  2714. such a

  2715. cost

  2716. he

  2717. will hold

  2718. me

  2719. fast

  2720. I know

  2721. sometimes you

  2722. may feel as a

  2723. Christian

  2724. that all you

  2725. can do

  2726. is cling

  2727. barely

  2728. but you

  2729. know where

  2730. your assurance

  2731. really lies

  2732. it's not in

  2733. your ability

  2734. to hold on

  2735. to him

  2736. it's on his

  2737. power

  2738. to hold on

  2739. to you

  2740. therefore

  2741. praise God

  2742. in your

  2743. exile

  2744. for he is

  2745. keeping you

  2746. well thriving

  2747. in exile

  2748. it doesn't

  2749. begin with

  2750. fixing our

  2751. problems

  2752. it begins

  2753. with worshiping

  2754. the God of

  2755. our great

  2756. salvation

  2757. he's provided

  2758. an eternal

  2759. inheritance

  2760. the quality

  2761. of which

  2762. is unlike

  2763. anything we've

  2764. ever known

  2765. through his

  2766. mercy

  2767. he's given

  2768. us the right

  2769. to this

  2770. inheritance

  2771. through the

  2772. new birth

  2773. so that

  2774. all our

  2775. hope and

  2776. faith rest

  2777. in the

  2778. resurrection

  2779. of the

  2780. Lord Jesus

  2781. from the

  2782. dead

  2783. and while

  2784. he keeps

  2785. our

  2786. inheritance

  2787. secure

  2788. in heaven

  2789. he is

  2790. guarding

  2791. us by

  2792. his

  2793. power

  2794. so that

  2795. our faith

  2796. in Christ

  2797. is

  2798. sustained

  2799. until the

  2800. very end

  2801. why

  2802. because our

  2803. faith follows

  2804. the new

  2805. birth

  2806. and if it's

  2807. his power

  2808. that brings

  2809. about the

  2810. new birth

  2811. it's his

  2812. power

  2813. that will

  2814. keep us

  2815. to the

  2816. end

  2817. so for all

  2818. of this

  2819. and more

  2820. we can

  2821. join with

  2822. Peter

  2823. and exclaim

  2824. blessed be

  2825. the God

  2826. and Father

  2827. of our

  2828. Lord Jesus

  2829. Christ

  2830. let's pray

  2831. together

  2832. let'sย