Why Christians ought to Shout

Turn with me this morning in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

And boy, what a study this is gonna be.

Now if you do not have a worship guide, raise your hand and we'll make sure you have one.

I want everyone to be here.

David, right here.

Make sure David gets a worship guide.

Amen.

1 Peter chapter 1.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

What I love about Peter is when you read the book of Acts, you find out that a profound statement was made about Peter and John.

And the statement is that they both were ignorant men.

Now that doesn't mean they were dumb.

It just literally means that they had no formal seminary training.

That's what it means.

They had not been to the Sanhedrin.

They had not sat in the temples and discussed the scriptures.

They were fishermen.

Peter was.

John.

Fishermen.

Fishermen.

So they were ignorant in far as formal education, as far as studying the scriptures.

But here's the most amazing thing.

The greatest statement could ever be said about any of it.

But the statement was made then, but they took notice.

That's a powerful word.

They took notice, they saw it in them that they had been with Jesus.

Is that not good?

You don't have to have formal education in theology to be with Jesus.

Amen.

In fact, my granddaddy had a fourth-grade education.

That's as high as it went.

But he constantly was with Jesus.

And he knew the scriptures as well as any theologian that I had all those years the privilege of senator.

Yes, I went to the seminaries.

I have the doctorate.

I did all the formal studies.

But I got news for you.

You can have knowledge and still not possess the power of God on your life.

So, with that said, the reason I'm laying that foundation about him being ignorant with no formal education of theology is because in verse 1 through 5, but we're going to probably, and I'm not going to get in a hurry this morning because we're going to deal with a subject here in a minute that's very controversial in theological circles, not really in the church, because most people don't understand it, don't want to understand it.

But anyway, it says, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocea, Asia, and Bethany.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

Powerful, powerful, unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable.

Verse 2 is.

It has so much theology that it would stagger you to think that that one verse we studied a whole semester in seminary.

But today we're going to be looking at why Christians ought to shout.

Ha ha! Why Christians ought to shout.

And it's powerful because we have hope.

Can I get an amen?

Regardless of where you are, we have hope.

Finding hope, finding encouragement, because we're a child of the king.

And with that said, this little book in 1 Peter is a letter of hope and holiness.

You might want to write that down.

Hope and holiness.

Peter instructs his readers on how to have a holy walk in a very hostile world.

And let me say, it's getting there more and more in America.

Hostility.

It's amazing how people are shooting policemen in the streets and how we're lamblasting.

If I don't believe like you believe, you're just, you're vehemently just lamblasting us.

And if I don't have your political agenda, I'm of the devil.

I mean, it's really getting where it was with, it's headed if we don't change this or see a change toward Nero that was in charge during this time.

He hated Christians.

And buddy, he was doing everything he could to kill them and get rid of them.

He was so barbaric, he would literally dip Christians in oil and set them on fire and put them up on crosses to line his driveway.

Hello?

He would literally take these Christians and get skins of animals and wrap Christians in them and tie them in the skins and throw them into the arena for animals, wild animals, lives and all to just rip them to pieces.

Now, this is the context of during the time Peter's writing this.

So we it hadn't gotten that worse yet here.

But we're headed that way if we're not careful.

So with that said, we see he encourages all of us who are suffering for Christ to stay on the course and forge ahead.

Paul puts it, pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in and through Christ Jesus.

And the first two verses here, notice what Peter says.

And he gets right to the heart of the matter, explaining that God's are we're pilgrims passing through.

Say that with me.

Pilgrims passing through.

We're strangers.

We're not of this world.

He says, you're not going to be here long anyway.

Amen.

We're just passing through.

In fact, number one, in your outline, God's people are strangers.

Look at it.

Peter and Apostle Jesus Christ to the strangers.

Notice that we're strangers.

The word strangers here is pardiamas.

And it literally means pilgrims, sojourners.

It means foreigners.

It means aliens.

We are to be an alien to the world system.

We're to be so different that the world would look at us as Christians and call us foreigners.

Well, that's not happening today, is it?

In fact, you look at the church, you don't hear people thinking that the church is foreigners because the church is kind of blended in with the world and their system.

Trying to be, even now, the church, trying to be politically correct.

But we're foreigners.

We're not of this world.

In fact, this is a very descriptive term right here of what every believer is.

I love it.

I love it.

We're foreigners to this world.

The world is not our home.

We're strangers here.

I love the songwriter.

Some of you old timers will remember this song.

This world is not my home.

I'm just passing through.

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't be at home in this world anymore.

What a song.

What truth.

I have chosen you out of the world.

Notice the words out of here.

Look at it in John 15, 19.

When we became Christians, we ceased to be of this world.

Christ has done his part in saving us, putting within us the Holy Spirit, who is the person of the Trinity, the second person of the Trinity, with the third person of the Trinity, and He set us aside, and you're going to look in a minute, the word sanctification means to be set aside specifically for the Lord.

He says that, hey, he's called us out where he is now, and he's commanded us not to be a part of the world.

Why?

And that's why he says in 1 John 2.15, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passes away and the lust thereof.

But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

Wow.

We are told to come out from among them and be separate, saith the Lord.

Touch not the unclean things.

1 Corinthians 6, 17.

By way of the new birth, we are creatures of another world.

Listen to this.

Look at Hebrews 13, 14.

It's there.

For here, he says, for here have we no continuing city, but we seek, and I love that, but we seek another place.

We seek a city, but we seek the one to come.

So we're strangers.

Notice secondly, God's people are scattered.

The Greek word there is di seporah.

Diais pora.

And it literally means Peter, an apostle Jesus Christ, no, to the strangers scattered.

Not only are we strangers, we're scattered.

Now here's what the word scatter comes from the word, we get our word, English word, disperse.

In other words, as Christians, as foreigners, God disperses us all over the world so that we will be ambassadors for Him wherever God plants us.

Do you realize you right now are scattered in Chelsea and Westover and the surrounding community right here?

You and I have been called to be scattered in this community to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to our community.

Isn't that good?

You're not here by accident.

You're on a mission.

God has dispersed you and me right here.

This dispersion was a term that was understood here by the Jews because the Bible says that the Jews remembered the beginning of the New Testament church.

Bam, it exploded, 3,000 saved on the day of Pentecost.

And a few chapters over, they're running 5,000.

It's exploding.

And then all of a sudden, persecution came.

And why did it come?

To disperse that group of Christians.

In fact, you get to Acts 8.4, they were scattered abroad, went everywhere, preaching the word of God.

So not only are we foreigners, we're scattered, we're sent out.

We're sent out.

And I love that.

I love that.

We are where we are because God has put us here to spread the gospel.

Can I get an amen?

But notice the third thing.

God's people are selected.

Oh boy.

We may be here the rest of the day.

All right.

Now throw out what you've heard.

Throw out what you think.

And just listen.

You may not agree, but that's okay.

You have your right to be wrong.

I'm joking, I'm joking.

We have debated this.

This used to be fun in seminary.

I used to love it because I'd lead the class as the professor.

And I never would tell them what I believed till the end of the class or the end of the semester.

I made them do their own homework.

There's three words in theology that will be debated till Jesus comes back.

Election, foreknowledge, and predestination.

I'm going to show you very simply how an ignorant man, without any formal education, understood the election of God.

And I'm not going to read into it, I'm not going to give you, I'm just going to let the scripture do the talking.

In order.

Okay?

You with me?

And you may not agree, and that's okay.

But just listen.

Be ready.

This is so simple.

It took me years to make it understand it simply.

And that's when I knew I had it.

That's right, honey.

Because it's not complicated.

We make it complicated.

So let's start at verse 2.

Here we go.

And boy, is it fun.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in sanctification.

Underline the word sanctification, that's the key.

The sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

In other words, God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy.

As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

May God give you more and more grace and peace.

That's what he's saying.

Now, here we go.

As God's people, we are elect.

What's what is look at verse 2?

Look at the verse.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.

Now, this subject, like I said, is the springboard for a great deal of controversy.

However, we must keep in mind, what's this?

God's election cannot be divorced from his foreknowledge.

You've got to understand that.

You cannot take election apart from foreknowledge.

They're together.

So with that said, the foreknowledge of God is the basis for his election.

Now watch this.

God is timeless.

But based upon anything except God's foreknowledge, now watch.

Election can be very fatalistic.

Very fatalistic.

Depriving man of his free choice, which the Bible commands throughout the scriptures.

In other words, God does not choose some to go to heaven and choose others to go to hell.

He does not do that.

There's no way he can do that because of unconditional love.

Agape love.

Powerful statement right here.

And he says, but every man, let me see, make sure I'm right.

Jeff, not James, but 1 Peter 1, 14, watch.

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance.

As obedient children, you have a choice.

And with this said, now watch this.

If we're going to understand how God elects men, we are going to have to accept what the Bible says about God's foreknowledge.

Watch what it says.

Notice, the Holy Spirit inspired order of foreknowledge and election.

Notice what it says again.

Look at the verse.

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God.

Don't get this out of order.

Some attempt to teach that God foreknew the elect because he pre-selected some to be saved and some not to be saved.

However, we see, look, that election is according to foreknowledge.

It does not say foreknowledge according to his election.

It says election according to his foreknowledge.

No, a thousand times no, don't get that out of order.

Just read the Bible as God wrote it.

The Bible makes it clear that God's election is based upon his foreknowledge.

Now, watch here.

Here's the definition of foreknowledge.

Foreknowledge means awareness of something before it happens or exists.

In other words, God is omniscient.

Do you agree with that?

That's one of the big old words: omniscient, omnipotent, omnipower, omnipresent.

He's all-powerful, he's all-knowing, and he's everywhere.

You believe that?

You do if you believe the Bible.

Okay.

So he's omniscient.

He knows what's going to happen before it happens.

Would you agree with that?

Now, watch this.

Foreknowledge has nothing to do with making something happen, but it has everything to do with knowing what's going to happen.

Now, did you get that?

Say amen.

So you got to understand that.

Nothing has nothing to do with making it happen, but knows what's going to happen.

Now I wrote this down.

Went back to my teaching theological notes.

Are you ready?

Foreknowledge is the act whereby God, based on his omniscience, he knows everything, looked down through the ages.

And hey, he looked down through the ages and seeing who would come to Christ and be saved, he elected them and predestined them to be conformed unto the image of Jesus Christ.

God knew all those years that who was going to be saved.

God's wish was for everyone to be saved.

2 Peter 3.9.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, but as long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

For God so loved the world.

John 3.16.

Another powerful verse says, 1 Timothy 2.4.

Who will, hey, and I love this, who will, here he says, all to be saved and come to the knowledge of God.

That's what Paul told Timothy, 1 Timothy 2.4.

Listen to what he says in Titus 2.11.

For the grace of God has appeared to all men.

So in his foreknowledge, God knows who's going to accept him, but God wishes everyone would accept him.

That's why he died.

Great example on Calvary.

Man's free will.

Jesus in between, the thief on the right, thief on the left, one receives him, one rejects him.

But both of them had the same opportunity.

God didn't turn to one and say, hey, he turned to one and said, Today you'll be in paradise.

But why did he do that?

Because he turned to Jesus and told Jesus, he said, Father, I know you haven't done anything wrong.

I know you're the Messiah.

I know we've the guilty ones.

We're the sinners.

Remember me.

Now, did Jesus know which one was going to receive him before he was on the cross?

Absolutely.

But he still gave the other guy the opportunity.

Now watch.

It gets a little better.

In fact, it's going to get a lot better.

Some attempt to teach that God foreknew the elect because he had pre-selected them to be saved.

However, we see that election is according to foreknowledge.

Don't forget that.

That's the key.

It does not say foreknowledge according to his election.

No.

So let's just stick with what it says.

Now watch Romans 8.29 and see how it fits with that understanding.

What understanding?

God died on the cross for the whole world, but God knew the whole world wasn't going to receive him.

God knew who was going to receive him.

And because of those he knew that were going to receive him, he then elected them to be predestined to be like him so that they could be dispersed into the world to be living testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For we, for whom he foreknew, those that would be saved.

He also predestined, there's the word predestination, that third word, to Be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

There it is.

He elected us to be like Jesus.

Now, with that, let me tell you what God taught me.

Whew, this is so good.

So, the election.

So, what there's two parts to election.

Watch this.

One, God elected a plan of salvation which he accomplished in Jesus Christ.

Is that not good?

God elected a plan through Jesus Christ his son on Calvary to offer men and women to be saved.

Then the second part of election is this: God also elected a people to make known his elected plan, starting first with the Jews, and then now today with the New Testament church, his elected plan of salvation.

And we, hey, so here it comes.

Here's my synopsis.

Election has to do with the service of God and being a witness to the world.

Election is for service and sanctification, not salvation.

That's where it clicks.

When you realize election has nothing to do with justification, but everything to do with sanctification.

And by the way, wait, wait, look in the word.

Go back to the word.

Is that not what he says in verse 2?

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through what?

Sanctification.

Now, with that said, that brings me to the fourth point.

God's people are sanctified.

Now, watch this.

Here it is.

Whoo, this is good.

Through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience.

Now look at the word sanctified.

It means to be set apart for special service.

Now, what is that service?

We are dispersed wherever God sends us to what?

To be a light set on a hill, to be an ambassador for Christ, to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

I think we all agree with that.

Amen.

So he has set us apart to make us like Christ so that we can spread the good news to wherever he sends us.

Now, with that said, the text says that this sanctifying work is accomplished, well, look, by the Holy Spirit.

The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is the act whereby he works in the life of the believer to free us from the grips of sin.

He works in us to teach us how to deny the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

And he works in us, teaching us how to deny that, and works in us so that we can become more like Christ.

That's what the Holy Spirit's job is, to teach us to be like Christ.

He works in the life of the believer to free us from the world, the flesh, the devil, while at the same time separating us unto Christ for a special service.

Now watch this.

Here we go again.

Theology 101.

Ready?

Remember, ignorant men's writing this.

Had no theological training.

Very simple.

Sometimes our smartness can get us in trouble.

Now watch this.

There's three stages of sanctification.

Ready?

Stage number one.

A positional sanctification.

This speaks of our position in Christ.

At the time of the new birth, every believer is eternally sanctified in Christ and transferred, excuse me, and is transferred from the family of the devil to the family of God.

See, you don't understand when you're lost, you're part of a family.

You may not think you are, but you are.

You're the family of the devil.

You say, no, wait a minute.

I don't know if I believe that.

Well, if you believe the Bible, you do.

Because look at what he said.

First of all, he said, but as many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God, even to them believed on his name.

John 1.12.

But then notice what he says in Romans, I mean, excuse me, in John 8.44.

He says, point blank, right in your face, you are of your father the devil.

Hello.

Hello.

So when we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes in and we we we graduate to a new family.

Woo! I'm no longer a family of the devil, I'm a family of God.

Now I don't know about you, but it wouldn't take me long to decide which side I'd like to be on.

Hello?

However, salvation changes everything.

Look at what he says in Colossians 1, 12 and 13.

Woohoo! Giving thanks.

What's this?

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us, watch, from the power of darkness, from the family of Satan, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

At the moment God declares us perfectly righteous and sets us apart for himself, this is positional sanctification that takes place at the minute you and I are saved in 1 Corinthians 1.30, he says it this way Christ is made unto us sanctification.

Sanctified.

Wow.

Woo! I'm in a new family.

Amen.

That's why I love you so much.

That's why I love you so much.

You're my family.

We're together.

That's why I don't see how somebody can say they're really saved and doesn't want to be a part of a family.

They don't want to go to church.

Oh, I can go to church on a boat out fishing or in a hunting stand and all that stuff.

They tell me that all the time.

I want, that's not a family.

That's not a family.

We're together.

We're a family.

Sanctified, set apart for God.

Now notice, this positional sanctification has nothing to do with you, but everything, hey, to do with God.

Are you listening?

You're with me.

And that's where he comes out, he elected you, he chose you.

Because he already knew you were going to receive him.

And now he's going to conform you to use you.

That's good, preacher.

And notice the second step in this sanctification.

Progressive sanctification.

You didn't know you were going to seminary today, did you?

Watch this.

Progressional sanctification differs from positional sanctification in that positional sanctification is entirely the work of God, whereas now watch this.

Progressive sanctification includes human responsibility.

We're not robots.

Hello?

You with me?

Now watch this.

Progressive sanctification is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ.

We just saw that in Romans 8, 29.

This is Christian growth putting away Christian growth.

Let me simplify discipleship and Christian growth.

This is so good.

Even an ignorant person could understand it.

What do I mean by that?

Not you're dumb or stupid.

Excuse me, I should not have said stupid.

My grandmother came out of heaven and just said, don't say that to any boy.

But what it means is, you don't need professional training to understand what I'm about to say.

That's what the Lord is saying through Peter to me and you.

Here's what he's saying.

It is very simple.

And here's what he is saying about progressive sanctification, which I love, and that is discipleship, hey, and growing is putting away sin and putting on godliness.

That's discipleship.

Oh, we're trying to make discipleship such a deep thing.

Oh, we got to get to the deep things of God.

Can I tell you the deepest thing you can ever get to God?

It's being like Him.

Can I get an Amen or oh me?

And that's what it is: it's putting off sinfulness and putting on godliness.

And the Lord tells us how to do that.

And by the way, that is called progressive sanctification.

You're becoming more like Christ.

Watch this, 1 Thessalonians, right here.

Well, actually, though, go to Romans 6.19.

Do we have that?

Do I have that, Jason?

Yeah, look, look.

I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.

Uh-oh, there's our weakness.

We still battle with that flesh every day.

For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanliness, in other words, we were children of the devil, we're living in sin, enjoying living in sin, all that rotten stuff.

He says, and as lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

Now you've been saved.

Watch.

You've been taken out of that family, transferred into another family, and now you're learning how to do away with the ungodliness and do and put on godliness and what's right.

And look at verse 22.

Paul says, but now having been, woo-hoo! Say it with me, church, but now having been what?

Set free from what?

Hey, you've been set free.

You got the power living in you not to sin.

Oh, there went your excuse.

Hello.

And having become slaves of God, you have, hey, you have your fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life.

It says, you are, hey, you've got a new inheritance.

You've got a new family.

You got a new brother and sister in Christ.

You got the person of the Holy Spirit living in you, sets you aside, and it's cleaning you up so you can be like Christ.

No excuse.

I'm preaching to me.

That one to you.

Don't get upset at me.

I'm preaching to me.

Danny, you have no excuse when you have that bad attitude.

When you say the wrong thing.

And by the way, I'm not a robot.

I have the power to control it.

If you say you can't control it, I have people say, Well, I just can't change the way I, you know, the cuss and they so I can't control all that.

Well, let me tell you why you can't.

You just need to get saved.

Hello.

Just get saved.

Then you'll have a person in you and the power in you to change.

You can't change something that you don't have the power to change from.

Because you are your son, the father and daughter of the devil.

You're just saying and acting like you're supposed to.

But when you get saved, you need, hey, you don't act that way anymore.

Now you're going to have a slip or two.

Because you're a baby.

Baby messes the diapers up every once in a while.

Hello?

You with me?

Are you okay out there?

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.

You got to have your diapers changed.

But my soul, after a while, you start going to the potty, and we don't have to do any cleansing, and we all say, hallelujah! The problem is when you have a church full of babies, and babies are always wanting their own way and always going around messing up and making excuses.

So, watch this.

Then, 1 Thessalonians 4 says, For this is the will of God.

Woo! Watch this.

Is that on there, Jason?

1 Thessalonians, for this is the will of God.

Watch.

Even your sanctification.

He uses a word right there.

Even your sanctification that you should abstain from fornication.

He's putting the morality and the responsibility back on you and me.

And verse 4 in 1 Thessalonians 4 says, You should know how to possess, hey, your own vessel in sanctification and honor.

In other words, you ought to be growing every day more like Jesus, putting off more of the ungodliness and putting on more of the righteousness.

Every day.

Progressive sanctification.

That's what it means.

Watch this, 2 Timothy 2, 21 and 22.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, all right, there's our responsibility.

We're not robots.

He shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Now watch, flee also useful lust, but follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of their pure heart.

In other words, you've got to put off the ungodliness and all those bad attitudes and the lust of the flesh.

And Galatians 5, 19 through 21, all those things, the drinking and the fornication, all that, you've got to put it off.

What does that mean to put it off?

Deny it.

You make a choice.

You make a choice.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of people, many Christians.

It's to ignore God's clear command here to separate, and they never become vessels under honor, sanctified, look at the verse, meet for the master's use.

God intends that the process of sanctification continue throughout the believer's life.

This present process of sanctification never ends in this life.

It never ends while you and I are breathing.

We are continuously progressing to be like Christ.

In the end, though, when we do, read that last breath.

There's the last stage of sanctification.

Perfect sanctification.

Whew! Amen.

Can I get an amen?

It is the final perfection of the believer which will take place at the return of Christ.

Look at what he says in 1 Thessalonians 5.23.

And the very God of peace sanctify you holy.

Woo-hoo! That sanctification now is complete.

We started out positionally with Christ, and then all the rest of our life we're becoming more like him.

We're being discipled.

We're putting off the ungodliness, putting on the righteousness.

We're becoming more and more, and we're being dispersed throughout everywhere we go, being a light and an ambassador and a testimony for Christ.

And then one day that last breath is taken, and now you are holy, totally sanctified.

Oh, and the very God of peace sanctify you totally.

And then he says, Look, and I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now he's saying, now I'm telling you, hey, continue that progressive sanctification, growing in the likeness of Christ, protecting your soul, your body, and your life, being real, being making the right choices.

Is that not good?

Isn't it simple?

When you look at it stage, stage, stage.

Perfect sanctification is the plan and purpose of God for every believer.

And again, this phase of sanctification cannot and will not be attained while in our mortal bodies.

However, it will be accomplished.

Philippians 1 6.

This is where Philippians, when Paul's writing, this thing he says, be confident of this very thing that he which begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

In other words, the Holy Spirit's gonna be in that progression of have progression, sanctification, but one day you'll be wholly sanctified.

There'll be no sin in heaven.

Woohoo! Revelation 22, three, there'll be no curse up there.

Man, I could just have a perfect sanctification will be the completion of what God started in us one day, on the day of our salvation.

Perfect sanctification is the completion of God's plan for your life and my life.

Amen.

Is that not good?

Is that not good?

Like positional sanctification?

Perfect sanctification is the total holy work of God.

At Christ's coming, what's this?

Every believer will receive a new body that will have no sin.

1 John 3, 2 says, Beloved, now we're the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

That's total, complete, perfect sanctification.

Number five.

God's people are submissive.

Look at verse 2 again.

Phrase by phrase, word for word, right there in the black and white.

Unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you, and peace be multiplied.

Now notice that this sanctifying work is what?

It's unto obedience.

In other words, in order for this sanctifying work to take place in our life, we have to submit to the obedience of the Word of God.

If you're willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

If you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.

Isaiah 1.19 and 20.

So, God's people are to obey the Holy Spirit and put away sin as the Spirit of God convicts us and shows us.

Don't you love Joshua?

Now watch, this is where Joshua 1.8 really fits in.

Put it, put Joshua 1.8.

The book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth.

Watch.

But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that's written therein.

Then shall I make thy way prosperous, then shall you have good success.

Wow.

That progressing sanctification working in you through the person and the teaching of the Holy Spirit through the instrument of the Word of God.

Is that not good?

However, we see the next phrase.

Peter speaking of sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Now watch this.

Here's another very important part in this phrase.

Many interpret this to mean cleansing by the blood that it takes.

That takes place the moment a sinner gets saved.

And the blood of Christ is certainly the basis for our forgiveness.

Ephesians 1 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.

Ephesians 1 7.

But that's not what he's talking about here.

Notice what he's talking about here.

Watch this.

You would notice, look right here, that this blood is sprinkled after, watch, after the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, we've already been saved.

So what does this mean?

It means that the blood of Jesus Christ is not just for saving power, but cleansing power daily.

1 John 1.9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In other words, it's in the progressive state.

It is a continual confessing.

As we sin, we ask God to forgive us and to cleanse us and to refill us with the power of the Holy Spirit.

So aren't you glad that we have a continual blood sanctification process?

Every morning great is our faithfulness.

This is speaking of the continual cleansing of the blood of Christ in our life.

That's what it's talking.

And that's what John said in 1 John 1 9.

Confession comes from a word that means, hey, let me ask you, let me tell you what confession means.

Good point right here.

Thank you, Holy Spirit.

Confession means to say the same thing.

To agree with.

So what does that confession in the context mean?

That you and I agree with what God says about sin.

And we ask Him to forgive us of that sin.

Amen?

Is that not good?

David, in his confession, remember what David said?

Against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, and thou might be justified when thou speakest, and be, hey, uh, clear when thou judgest.

Psalms 51:4.

Psalms 51:4

It might also be noted here, too, that the word confess is in the present tense.

It's a continual confessing.

Don't you wish you could just say, Lord, forgive me of this sin, you never would do it again?

That would be perfect sanctification while we're living.

Guess what?

You can't do that.

Because you're the flesh is still alive.

When I get upset with Susan, I ask her to forgive me, and in my spirit, you know what I say?

Lord, I forgive me from being ugly to Susan.

And I don't want to be ugly again.

In fact, I'm never going to be ugly again.

Till tomorrow.

Thank you, honey, very much.

But but now you laugh, but think about that.

That's what perfect sanctification is.

And if we had that, then we would only have to confess that sin one time.

But aren't you glad that that's not the case because you and I are not perfect, and we can't be perfect till we get to perfect sanctification when we become like Christ.

Totally.

Hotily.

But we can definitely get a lot better.

I may not be as, hey, I may go at least a week before I'm ugly again.

Maybe longer.

No?

The next day?

No.

But you see what I'm saying?

I don't want to be ugly, but guess what?

I'm tempted.

Who tempts me to be ugly?

Satan.

He wants me to be ugly.

He wants me to get mad, so I'll get out of the spirit, and then I'm a bad testimony for God.

And the last thing Satan wants is me to be a great testimony for God.

That's good.

All right.

You with me?

Here's what Proverbs said.

You ready?

Listen to Solomon, the greatest, wisest man ever.

Proverbs 28, 13.

Here's what he said.

He that covers his sin shall not prosper.

But whosoever confesses and forsake it, there's that responsibility.

Shall have mercy.

Shall have mercy.

Look at it.

And forsakes.

You gotta do more than just confess, folks.

You gotta get rid of that sin.

You gotta turn from that sin, that attitude, those words.

Whatever it is.

Alright.

Are you with me?

You just went through theology 101 and seminary.

In the abbreviated version.

Okay.

Let's wrap it up.

And I want you to see the last thing.

God's why?

Hey, here we go.

Why Christians ought to shout?

One, they're strangers.

Two, they're scattered.

Three, they're selected.

Four, they're sanctified.

Five, they're submissive.

And then the last thing, you're really going to shout when you see this.

God's people have a spirited hope in a dying world.

Look at verse 3 and 4 and 5.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, with according to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again into a lively hope.

There's the word lively means spirited hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fate is not a way reserved in heaven for you.

Now watch verse 5.

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

All right, get your pencil ready.

This is going to be fast and quick.

One, we have, are you ready?

You know why we can shout?

Hey, for joy in a dying world?

The regeneration of our souls, verse three.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again into a lively hope.

Begotten us again means we've been born again.

If you were saved right now, you ought to shout.

There's a few of you saved.

I said, if you're born again, spirit, I should have said spirit-filled, you ought to shout.

Amen.

I got to find this song.

I just heard it on WDAC.

Faithfulness, uh faithfulness, it's something, but it's the whole song is say amen.

Have y'all heard it?

Am I the only one?

Say amen.

I I I gotta find that song.

Benji's got to learn that song for me.

I mean, I was shouting yesterday the whole time they was playing.

I said, that's it.

That's what I'm preaching.

I think it is.

I think it is.

Say amen.

You can be in the fire furnace, but God's with you.

Say amen.

Why we can cry out loud and shout.

Why?

We're born again, number B.

Look at verse 3.

Why can we shout, hey, out loud in a dying world, the resurrection of our Savior.

Verse 3.

Are you ready?

This is gonna get you to shout.

Look at verse 3.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Notice that our hope is dependent on the resurrection of Christ.

There would be no Christianity if there was no resurrection.

The cross was the first step, it was the beginning.

But true salvation ends from the resurrection.

Amen.

I can't wait to Easter.

That's why I love Easter.

Notice what Paul wrote.

You got to see this, 1 Corinthians 15, 17 through 19.

And if Christ be not raised, watch.

Your faith is vain.

Ye are yet in your sins.

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Our loved ones, there's no hope.

We'll never see them again.

But if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

In other words, if all we have is what we're living in now, we're most miserable.

I think we all would say amen.

But we're not.

Praise God.

Christianity has a living Savior.

If Christ had remained in the tomb, we would have no hope.

Listen to what Oliver B.

Green said.

The greatest bombshell ever to explode in the face of an unbelieving world was the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ distinguishes us and makes Christianity superior to all other religions of this world, folks.

Are you ready for this?

Founders of other religions lived and died, and they are, hey, remain dead.

Are you ready?

Watch this.

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian science.

And hey, there she lies.

She's still in her grave.

You go to the grave of Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the Jehovah's Witness, and there he lies.

You can go to the grave of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, there he lies.

You can go to the grave of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and there he lies.

But when you go to Joseph's tomb where Jesus was laid, you will read it is empty.

He's not here.

That's the blessed home of the Christian.

I'm sorry I got so excited.

But I've been there.

I've been there.

He's not there.

He's not there.

And then the last thing.

Woo!

Glory.

Well, I can shout.

My regeneration, my resurrection of my Savior, and the last thing, the reserving of our salvation.

Hey! You can't lose it, you can't give it away.

Because you didn't do anything to get it.

Hello.

Notice verse 5.

To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.

That's our inheritance.

You know what?

We just got through doing our will.

In fact, David's helping us.

If you need a good guy to help you, but you gotta pay him.

He doesn't do that free.

Hey, hey, what's this?

What's this?

We're trying to decide what we're gonna give our kids.

And we think through that.

I thought it see, remember, I'm the ignorant one.

Well, actually, I have gone theological training, but my wife's the smart one, real smart.

I mean, she really is real smart.

She graduated Sumical Lai.

I said, What does that mean?

Smart.

I graduated, thank a lot.

That means average.

So I said, Well, it's simple.

Just divide it between our three children.

But then she said, but what about all our grandchildren?

And what about blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I said, you and David figure it out.

But but it's an inheritance they're gonna get.

Well, I got news for you.

You and I've got an inheritance that we're gonna get.

And all these words, let me tell you what they mean.

One, our inheritance will not decay.

Hey, our inheritance will not become defiled.

Our inheritance will not be dull.

Woo! We are going to receive everything that Jesus is and has is ours.

Now that ought to make you want to shout.

And nothing's gonna take it away from you because I close with this first, verse 5, and I'm through for this section, this paragraph, and I did it.

He says, Are you ready?

Look.

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

Listen to me.

Are you ready for this?

There is no way we're gonna lose anything, but we are going to inherit it because God's power would have to decrease or decease.

And it ain't gonna happen.

Can I get an amen?

Can I get an amen?

Say amen.

Well, I hope you've had as much fun today as I have.

Because it's been liberating to really realize.

Can you imagine?

Look what he gave us in the first five verses.

He laid, he laid the prime rib on the table in the first five verses.

Saying, here we go.

Church, you ought to be excited.

You ought to be a lively hope for what you got.

Every head bow, every eye closed.

Father, we love you.

We thank you.

We praise you.

I'm so I'm just, folks, I'm sorry.

I'm just over, I'm overfilled.

I'm just overwhelmed with the power of awesomeness of my God.

He's so real.

You here this morning.

You don't know him.

Some of you looking at me like he is just plum crazy.

I am.

But it's real, folks.

I can't help it.

I got the can't help it.

I can't help but speak the things that I've seen and heard.

I can't help it.

All that restudying uh uh uh election and predestination, all that, it just re-fired me up to realize what I have and that God has elected me to be chosen by him to be his for a testimony.

That gets me excited.

So would you right now, if you're here and you don't know him, watching online, I don't know what Susan's doing, but come on.

She's been trying to tell me she wanted to do something, so come on.

Yes.

Amen.

Yes.

She said, God laid on her heart to sing this song.

Because this is this is it.

This is it.

This is it.

I guess you're gonna do it, a cappella.

You're not okay.

Do you want to be like Jesus this morning?

Would you right now, if you don't know him, would you pray this prayer with me?

Would you say, dear Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and I can't save myself.

But right now, dear Jesus, I'm asking you to come into my heart and my life and to save me and to change me.

Oh Lord, I want to be like you.

Lord, I want to be like you.