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Alright. Good morning, everyone. Church family, you're here. Good to see you. What do you say we stand up?
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We sing. We're gonna instead of reading a psalm, we're gonna sing a psalm, and it's psalm 92. And so I'm not even gonna read it. We'll sing it together.
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Alright. It is good to praise you. It is good to praise you, Lord. And may be used to your name, oh, most high. Same thing.
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It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name, O Most High. O Most High. Alright. Same thing. Let's sing it again.
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It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name, oh, most high. It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name, oh, most high, to proclaim to proclaim your love in the born my soul to you rise, oh, my side. Alright. It is good to praise you, Lord. Let's sing.
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Amen. Y'all can have a seat. We have got a few announcements this morning. We'll roll through. Plenty of chairs in here this morning.
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There is a separate kind of contingent of first B that is still camping out up at Culture Bay. So, Culture Bay, the out is going on. I do see some folks and they do not look smoky and dirty so they probably went home at some point in between but home sweet home tomorrow night.
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Yep, we're on. Tomorrow, Monday night, meal music message at 06:00 in there and tomorrow, we're in Luke 22 on the new covenant. And you guys, I'm so excited to share about the new covenant because it is so much better and greater than the old covenant and the old testament. And so if you want me to yeah. I'll bend your ear tomorrow if
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you come.
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06:00 in the evening, meal, music, and a message on Monday night right down the hall there. So, that's happening. Awana is about to start up. So, we got three more weeks before Awana starts up. If you want solid biblical teaching for your kids, clear weekly presentations of the gospel and building friendships in a safe and a fun and supportive environment, then, join for Awana and that can be whether you are a child or you have a child or you are an adult that would like to volunteer.
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We will very soon be doing a safe church training series for anybody who wants to volunteer for Awana but we'd love to have you. If you want to be involved in teaching or in games, let us know but it also, other than that, you can be a listener where you just listen to kids. It is so good to listen to kids attempting to memorize scripture and so, it's building them up and it's building you up and just hearing that scripture is fantastic. So, Awana Kids Club is starting up in three weeks, September 10. The Cowboy Church, this is disappointing but it has been cancelled.
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Grant Gallagher had some sort of an accident and has has not been able to do the things that he normally does. So, the horse whispering demonstration that was supposed to happen tonight is cancelled for now or at least postpone until he is feeling better. So, don't go to the Diamond Cross Ranch in Moran tonight expecting to see a horse whispering demonstration. You will be very lonely, okay? If you will see your bulletin, you can see the information about new Bible studies.
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We are attempting to stir one another up into love and good works and one of those is by Bible studies. There are various leaders that have arisen and said, we are doing a Bible study at this time. Trying to put all that information in the bulletin. So, if you will, take your paper bulletin, look around, pray about which one God would have you be a part of. The small groups are starting up this fall also.
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Old Bills Fun Run, that that I saw that going by on announcements this morning. These little dealios are out on the on the two dimaloon tables out there out front. Y'all have seen these before if you're from Jackson. If you're not from Jackson, Old Bills Fun Run is kind of like United Way but better, okay? It's sort of like that.
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A lot of co challengers join together and put in a big pool of money and say, we will support whatever our community is supporting. So, if you wanted to give to Good Samaritan Mission or Turning Point or First Baptist Benevolence Fund, then, you can give through old bills and your donation will be amplified. Over the last three years, it's gone from you put in say a dollar, then it's a dollar 50 before it gets to us. Does that make sense? So it amplifies your donation.
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If you'd like to do it, these are available out on the two tables and you can give to whomever. They're all of the different charities that are listed and it's ridiculous. My goodness, there are this many of em. There are that many of em listed in tiny, tiny, tiny print but if you'd like to do it for First Baptist, what we do with that money is benevolence fund. So, it's for people that come along that are missing a hotel room or need a car repair or something like that.
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Traveling through town and have had hard times or someone who is in town that has had hard is going through a hard patch so that we can say yes. So, that's all bills. For anything else, is there anything else that I'm forgetting? Sam Compton. I knew there was something else.
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Do you have that in there, Blake? Okay. Sam Compton, come on forward and Blake will bring you a microphone or you could lean into my microphone, I suppose. That's a hot mic. And there's Mike B.
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That's a hot mic too. Sorry. There you go.
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Here at first be starting this week. We're very excited about it. If you don't know what REFA is, it's combining music and movement and fitness program that aims to be inclusive for all ages, shapes, and abilities. And in the spirit of inclusion, we just really wanted to throw the door wide open to all of you. If you have any suggestions or there's a day or time that you would like to see us have a class because our current schedule doesn't work for you or if you just have any questions about what reef it is and what we're all about, I would just encourage you to come, find me after the service, and I would love to talk to you.
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Thank you, Sam. Appreciate that. So, thank you and we have a short video that we'll be showing at some point about Refit. Alright. So, if there are anything, any other announcements that should be in the bulletin, there are also prayer requests in there.
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If you want to know what's going on and who needs prayer, then, that'll be in there too but other than that, would y'all stand greet one another. Welcome and we're glad you're here this morning.
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A glorious lap beyond all compare. And there will be an end to these troubles, but until that day comes, we'll live to know you're here on the earth. And I will fear no need for my God is with me. Let's sing that again. You never let go.
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You never You let go. You never let go. Not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ.
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I will stay for the sake. This is my life. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ. I will stand alone.
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These say, this is my life. You are you are the author of salvation and faith. You are. You are. You are the victory that conquered the grave.
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Are. You are. You may stand and will take your great name. It's a life I want to live because I'm good news. There is the one I like.
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I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm
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Let's pray on that. God, truly in you, there is life because you are life. When Paul says, to live is Christ, that's you living in in us. And and how does that happen? That happens by faith through belief.
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You're the one who is given victory over the grave. You give us victory and life. You give us meaning and purpose. And so thank you, God, that you are our salvation and faith, that you are life, that your presence goes with us everywhere, that we need not to fear, that we can be calm even in the roughest of circumstances. So I thank you, God.
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I thank you for this Christian life that you offer to us in love. And God, may we grab hold grab hold of the life that you are giving us because there is true, is power in. Amen. Speaking of that, first Corinthians, but thanks be to God, he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is so cool.
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In God, in Jesus Christ, there is victory.
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Alright. Would you be free?
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Alright. You can have a you can have a seat and frontline teams coming forward and participate here in the worship through giving. And let's give thanks. We have a lot to be thankful for. God, indeed, we do.
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Again, thank you for your victory over the grave. Thank you, God, for the new covenant that you make and your blood that there is we're no longer covered by the sacrifices of blows bulls or goats or animal sacrifices, but that last and final, the better the better sacrifice of you on that cross. What you did on that cross is what gives us freedom. What you did on that cross is what cleanses us from guilt and shame. What you did on that cross gives us peace within, and we praise you for that.
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Thank you for every spiritual blessing that you give us. That and more. Here we are taken care of here in in Jackson and enjoying everything that you've created. We have so much to be thankful for. Would you use these gifts, God, so that others can know the freedom and the joy that this church has right here in Jackson.
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May that expand all over the world. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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I will ride. There's a day that's drowned
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M, Aaron and Florine and Eugene. Piano. Thank you. Amen. Every song this morning, every song points toward something in the in the scripture, in the message today.
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Carl, does a good job with that. Thank you. So we have gotten up to first Peter in our chronological study of the New Testament. We're getting there. I want to go through kind of what we've done so far.
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I'm not going to do the full on. This is what we've done so far since I've been here this time, but several people came to me afterwards when I went through the chronology of it. So I want to do this again. If you're tired of it, check out for a minute. Go get a cup of coffee, all right?
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Seriously. The chronology of Christianity, the way thus far. So, we have zero to 33 is the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Christ, the Messiah, Jesus, the anointed one from zero to thirty three AD. Really happened, really, in a place, in a time, really happened.
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Jesus came. He lived a perfect life. He ministered for three years or so, a little more probably, and his life up to that point was in preparation for it. Zero to 33 life and ministry of Jesus. '33, Jesus crucified, dead, buried, and risen, resurrection, and Pentecost.
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That all happened about about thirty three AD. We'll hold on loosely. Some people argue for '30 instead of '33 but thirty three AD is what I usually go with. In the early thirties, Stephen was murdered. Jesus had said to his disciples that you will be my witnesses.
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You will be the ones. You'll be the ones that spread this in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts and so, in the early thirties, they were kind of hanging around in Jerusalem, pretty close to where they had been and where they had ministered. But at the death of Stephen, that scattered the church. There was a real, probably fear. This could happen to Stephen.
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This could happen to us and so, they were scattered and dispersed. So, a kind of a diaspora happened at the martyrdom of Stephen and Christ's words were coming true. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria. In the early 30s also, Paul Saul was converted on the road to Damascus. He had writs in his hand from Jerusalem to go to the people in Damascus and bring back those for trial.
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Anyone who would be accused of following the way. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Anybody who was following after Jesus was a heretic in Paul's eyes or Saul's eyes and so he went out and he was met by Jesus. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Now, at this point, Christ had already arisen into heaven.
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He says, about the the the people who are his followers, why are you persecuting me? The body of Christ is the body of Christ. And so, Saul is converted there. Who are you, lord? I am Jesus whom you are persecuting and he was converted on that road to Damascus in the early thirties.
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30s and 40s, Peter, who we're going to be talking a lot about in the next few weeks. Peter, the great apostle, right? The great disciple. Peter and Philip were ministering in and around Jerusalem. Forty four to forty nine, Paul now converted Saul becomes Paul and Paul and Barnabas are ministering in Antioch for a time and then they take their first missionary journey together forty four to forty nine AD.
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We have pretty hard dates on most of these things. You'll, that's what surprised some of you because you just feel, oh, the Bible, it's kind of non specific. There are some non specific things as far as dates but some of em we have nailed down pretty good. Late forties, early fifties, probably '49 or '50. James was a diaspora letter that was written from Jerusalem, a letter written to Jewish background Christians and so James has a specific flavor because of who he was writing to and we did James, the book of James in 2014, early twenty fourteen about February, March, right around there.
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That's when we were going into the book of James here at first B. So, early twenty fourteen. So, that was the first in our chronological study. We had already studied John, the life of Jesus. We'd already studied Acts, the life of the early church.
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We had touched on first Peter for a few messages because I needed it when I got here. Paul's second missionary journey starts fifty fifty two AD. That was Paul's second missionary journey and he writes first and second Thessalonians from Corinth and we studied those together starting 05/18/2014. So, first Thessalonians and then we went to second Thessalonians next. Paul's third missionary journey was fifty three to fifty seven and on that journey, Paul writes, first Corinthians, he wrote it from Ephesus.
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We're pretty certain about that and the time frame about fifty five AD and so we have first Corinthians. We started that in July 2014. I was going through em faster than than I go through em now. Next, we did Galatians. Now, Galatians is one of those that that there are different schools of thought as to when it was.
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Some people think it's 48 or 49 others think it was 56. I put it between the two Corinthians because I was just tired of all the sin in Corinthians, honestly. I needed to have a break for a minute and just, oh foolish Galatians, come on, who has bewitched you? Let's get back to the New Covenant not going back to the Old Covenant, right? And so Galatians, we put between the two Corinthians.
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The difference sorry. The difference between whether it was 48, 49, or 56 is whether you believe the North Galatian theory about the geographic placement or the South Galatian theory. I I'll let you decide that. It's scripture. We know it.
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I don't have to hold on too tightly to stuff that's a little vague. So, we did Galatians right there in between the two Corinthians. So, about 56, he writes second Corinthians. He mentions in second Corinthians a severe letter. So, there was probably another one between these two that he wrote that the people listened to him.
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They actually listened to what he had to say and they had made some corrections and so he was sending them another letter to confirm all that. Second Corinthians, we studied together. Winter of fifty seven, that's really specific, isn't it? But we know it and it happened in real time, in real space. Winter of fifty seven, Paul writes Romans.
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He wrote it from Greece and so all of these that we have been going through since James, James wrote James but all of these, one, two, three, four, five books are all Paul and so if you've been here less than four years, you have probably only heard me preach on Paul unless you're here for Christmas or I pick up a gospel or two. So, Romans 57 a day, winner of 57 to be specific. We've got the travels of Paul there. Macedonia, Troas, Meletus, farewell to the Ephesian elders which he had spent three years with him and so he calls him out to Miletus, cries on the beach with him. Tyre, Caesarea, Jerusalem.
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He was arrested in the temple, had a Sanhedrin hearing. Fifty seven fifty nine, it's in Caesarea. He has a trial before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. He appeals to Caesar which means he goes to Rome. So, he goes to Rome.
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He's shipwrecked on the way. Caesarea, Crete, shipwrecked off of Malta but he survives and then he goes on to Rome for his first Roman imprisonment. That was from about '61 to '63 and thank God that he was arrested and put into jail in Rome because we have out of that imprisonment, the prison epistles, Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians and if that were not enough, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, if that were not enough, we also have Philippians. From that blessed time right there, we were stuck in prison. A few of the saints were ministering to him but he said he was hard to find but people sought him out.
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Amen. That they did. 62, 63, Philippians was written. What a joyful book that is. That was fun to study together.
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Luke also writes Acts about that time. He does not get to the rest of what we see from Paul, the pastoral epistles as we'll call him but he wrote Acts and we study that together actually way back when? 2013. Paul was released from prison and he travels and he wrote first Timothy and we just studied this recently together. So, first Timothy encouraging Timothy to stiffen up his backbone and stick to what is true and refute false doctrine.
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So, good book. Good good book especially for our times. It's a really good one. Gentle, merciful, yes, be that but at the same time, don't fall for what that which is not true. So, first Timothy, we study together.
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Release from prison, travels Macedonia. He writes first Timothy also wrote Titus about the same time between '63 and '65 and by tradition, Paul was murdered under Nero's reign right in that time period. So, depending on your dates, who you believe, '64 or '67 usually are the dates that are given there But he wrote Titus and we studied that together. So that is all apostle Paul. If you look at this, that list, so James was written by James.
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I have that one blocked out. All of these, all of these were written by Paul. And so y'all gotten into a style. I'm going try to transition today from Paul to Peter. So, think about the difference in those guys.
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Paul was a zealous Pharisee, theological mind, and had been trained from the earliest beginnings. He also grew up in Tarsus, good college town, and he had a lot of secular training too that he understood and he knew and he's a real, real smart guy, obviously an intellectual even though he downplays it on every turn. To Peter, who was a fisherman from Galilee. It was somebody that people look down on in general and thought they were kind of hicks and he was a fisherman but he had been with Jesus and he had been with him from the beginning. He was one of the first ones that was called out of me.
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His brother met him first, met Jesus and Andrew said, come, you gotta meet this guy. Come on. He changes his name immediately when Peter meets him. He's like, this is Simon. He goes, you're going to be Cephas.
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Aramaic word for rock which translated is Peter, and that's what we know him by. So first Peter is written 6467. Some people say, no doubt about it, '64. In fact, they say it was 10/13/1964, not 1964. 10/13/1964 because Nero, Nero had burned Rome.
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Much of Rome burned. It's his fault and he blamed the Christians for it and he was scapegoating the Christians and the cry was to kill the Christians because they were godless atheist because they didn't believe the emperor was God. They didn't believe in the gods of Rome and so since they didn't believe in those, they had a charge of atheism. Some of em later would have the charge of cannibalism because of the eating of the flesh of Christ, misunderstood, love, feast. Peter had been with Jesus.
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What do you know about Peter? If y'all started yelling it out, it would be. He got out of the boat. Amen. He got out of the boat.
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Jesus, bid me come to you. If it is you and he said, it's me. Come on. Peter jumps out of the boat and while his eyes were on Jesus, he was above water and we took his eyes off Jesus. He sunk And that's what we see in Peter's life over and over and over again, right?
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We see when Jesus is being arrested in the garden, Peter draws the sword and flops off Malchus' ear. Jesus is like, no, put that back. Seriously, you're the sword and the ear. Put it back. Live by the sword, die by the sword, Peter.
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I'll never betray you. Before the cock crows, you'll deny me three times. Oh my goodness. And that last one he does with a curse. He's over the coal fire talking to this girl says, you are with him.
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I know you are with him. He goes, don't don't know I wasn't but it was worse than that. It was with a curse. So, he denies him. He hears the rooster crow and he, oh, immediately, he's just filled with remorse and regret and horrible feelings, you know?
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But then, Jesus on the beach, after they've gone back fishing, after the rest, after the crucifixion and the horrible events of the weekend, after all of that, the resurrected Jesus on the beach starts his own little coal fire and he's cooking fish over it and Peter is restored on the beach. Do you love me more than these? Yes, lord. You know that I do. Feed my sheep.
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Feed my sheep. Feed my lamb. This is the same guy who wrote this book, okay? So, he's been restored by Jesus to ministry. Satan has asked Peter to sift you like wheat and instead of saying, no, you may not sift him like wheat.
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Jesus knew Peter needed sifting. Does that make sense? Jesus knew that he needed to be tried and he needed to fail. Peter would have been worthless to Jesus. Had he been able to go in his impetuous pride.
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But he wasn't because he did deny him and he saw the frailty of humanity in his own life. So, this is the guy who wrote this book. It's a transitional Sunday right here. First Peter, we're just going to go through the first part of Peter. I've already been describing.
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This is Peter. You know, when he had the 12 and then he had the three, Peter, James, and John, they're always with him, right? When he calls them out from the other guys, it was always and Peter, James, and John were accompanying him. Falling asleep in the garden, going to set up ahead of time, being with him at the transfiguration. These guys are with him and they're obviously putting their foot in the mouth all the time.
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It just happens over and over and over again but Peter, when Jesus said, who do people say that I am? Well, some pay this and some say that, some say this. He goes, who do you say that I am? Peter was the first one to answer and he said, you're the Christ, son of the living God. Amen.
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Upon that rock right there, that declaration. That's where I'm going to build my church. Now, in the gospels before the resurrection, we see Peter is almost anything but a rock. He he is not steady. He makes bold proclamations and makes bold moves and then has to step back from them.
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Even one time Christ said, get behind me, Satan, right? No, that's not gonna happen to you. Yeah, it is. And don't tempt me to not have it happen, okay? Hard times are a part of life.
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So Peter, this is that guy, Peter. How does he describe himself in his letter? Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Apostle is one who is sent out. I was sent out by Jesus.
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Do you remember the great commission? You will be my witnesses. He said, go you therefore into all the world. Go. Make disciples, baptizing them, teaching them, teaching them what?
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Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. Is that Peter? And he's apostle. He carries a message and he's carrying the message of Jesus forward. An apostle of Jesus Christ.
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That's the way he described himself. I've already described him outside of this context. He's known as the first pope In fifth chapter of this book, he says, I exhort you as a fellow elder among you. He lowers himself to to the that of servant always of the church. An apostle Jesus Christ, one who sent out.
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He is a bearer of a message and he says, who his recipients are, to those who reside as aliens. He'll call em strangers and aliens in just a few minutes. To those who reside as aliens, foreigners, to those who reside as aliens, those who are scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Those are all five. I'd love to have a map.
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I'll do it next week. To where they were, it was North Of Jerusalem, North Of Judea. They were Roman provinces. All of those are found in Turkey, Asia Minor but he's writing it to the dispersed Christian. So, James, the last book that we studied before we started Paul and then, Peter, the first book after we've been with Paul for so long.
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Both of these are diaspora letters. They are sent from a central location to people who have been scattered. So, he sees Christians as aliens in this world specifically in those five provinces. Those who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the father. Amen.
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Those the elect, those who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the father. By the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. To obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood. Those who have accepted Jesus blood as their sacrifice. If you have accepted Jesus blood as your sacrifice, then you are known by God.
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From the foundations of the world. Does that make sense? Okay. Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, the father, by the sanctifying work of the spirit. If you have Jesus, you have his Holy Spirit at your access.
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You do. And so, he will sanctify. If you'll submit your will, if you've already submitted and believed, take the next step and submit your will to his will. Allow the Holy Spirit to do his sanctifying work in you and transform you. To obey Jesus Christ, yes, it's to obey the great commission.
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Yes, it's to obey, love one another. Yes, all of that but it's accepting the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. That there has been a provision that is made that is all sufficient sacrifices. Carl probably talk about in his message tomorrow night. To obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood.
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So, this is just the first two. May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. So, who he is, who his recipients are, and then his first opening greeting is may grace grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure or may grace and peace be multiplied to you. You've already experienced and may that just increase time and time again. So point number one is always going to be the point number one for me.
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No matter who you are or to whom you're speaking, always start with grace and peace. If you can start with unmerited favor in a conversation and they don't have to win that, it goes so far in just human relationship to start off with grace and peace. Don't start with a war. If you're oh my goodness. If you're a Fox fan, don't start off with a CNN fan at war.
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Okay? If you're a CNN fan or an MSNBC fan, don't start off with a Fox fan at war. Start off with grace and peace. There may be some that just will not allow grace and peace but as much as it depends on you, I'm sticking back to Paul there. As much as it depends on you, live at peace with all, okay?
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Always start with grace and peace. I love that. Blessed be. Oh, blessed be. Happy is.
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Blessed be. Lifted up. The God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Did you notice the Trinitarian formula back here somewhere? This chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, sanctified by the spirit, obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus and obedience to him.
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That's three in one right there, the triune God and we're going forward. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter does not spend as much time on the Holy Spirit as Paul does. He he does not as much. It's there but it's not as obvious as it is in Paul.
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Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his great mercy. He's already said grace. Grace is unmerited favor. Mercy is when you don't get something bad you do deserve. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again.
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To a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Sorry, there we go. The point number two is too long to really be a point. I tried to do a three point sermon this week. I have no idea why I tried to do that.
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I thought it's going be good. They'll remember it when they leave and then all the points are really long and they just say exactly what the scripture says. Point number two is this, God is to be praised. When we got up here this morning, we start off with Psalm 92. That's Old Testament but God is to be praised.
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Why? Because he has great mercy. His mercy endures forever. His steadfast love and mercy endures forever. God is to be praised because he is merciful and he gives new life to those who believe.
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He's caused us to be born again. Jesus in chapter three of John Says to Nicodemus, you know, you got to be born again. Being born again is new life. It's not old covenant. It's new covenant.
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It's by the blood of Jesus. So, God is to be praised for new life. Amen. There's a start over. There's a do over allowed and it is through Jesus.
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God is to be praised for his great mercy, for his new life, and for the living hope. Praise God. Hope, again, every time I hit it in in the New Testament, I'm going to say this, hope is an absolute certainty that is not yet come to pass. It's not the way we use hope. When we say, I hope it'll happen.
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I hope it doesn't rain. I hope those folks from the camp out are alright. There's some question as to whether they are or aren't, right? But when we talk about our living hope, there is no question about that. None.
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He goes on to say that. Made available through the resurrection. So, there's a there's a theologian named John Warwick Montgomery. I haven't read a whole lot of his stuff but there's one that I really like. He says that everything, absolutely everything, all of the claims of Christ can hinge upon one thing, his resurrection.
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He said he was going to do it. If he didn't do it, then, don't listen to anything else he said but since he did, you better listen to what he said. He's the way. He's the truth. He's the life.
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No one comes to the father except through him. The first section of the book of first Peter is about salvation and so, we'll get to that just a second. Here it goes. Who according to his great mercy has caused us not only to be born again but he has caused us to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Point three, according to his great mercy and through Jesus resurrection, believers have an inheritance.
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I know I've mentioned it before. Some people go, oh, pie in the sky by by. I don't even want to hear that. I want to know about my life now. Well, abundant life starts now.
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It can. You can be a part of the kingdom now but it's nice to know that it's not always going to be like this and in sixty four AD, when Nero's blaming the Christians for the fire, what he started doing is impaling Christians, standing them up, dousing them with oil, and burning them in his garden to light the path. Can you imagine? To know that that's what you would face in Rome and the outline provinces that he's writing to, Peter knows that this persecution is coming and it did. It did come that far out.
50:02
Believers have an inheritance that's imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and reserved in heaven. It's untouchable by your oppressors. Imperishable, undefiled. I started to do the whole Greek thing but imperishable means imperishable, alright? It's something that doesn't go away.
50:21
It's something that doesn't go away. Undefiled. It doesn't rot. And it can't be, you know, in the old covenant, it used to be that if something was unholy and then there's this holy object that you touch the holy object, then that holy object was no longer holy. And the opposite is true in the New Testament.
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Christ is holy. No matter how unholy. When he touches a life, it becomes holy. Undefiled. It's never going to rot.
50:52
It's never going to fade. It does not go away. It's not like a gift certificate that if you don't use it, loses $5 a month until it's gone. It's not like paint that just oxidizes and eventually looks cruddy and has to be lapped over again with more paint. It's unfading.
51:12
It does not fade or go away and then, reserved in heaven. That's where I get some pushback from people sometimes. Yeah, I don't. Nobody knows that. Peter couldn't have known that.
51:22
I'm like, listen, this guy hung out with Jesus for three straight years and this is what he had in a short letter too. This is about almost exactly the same length as the book of James five chapters and it's pretty tight, you know, keeps it pretty close but he says it with absolute certainty. I trust it. It's reserved in heaven for you. There are some benefits that you can receive right now and then there are other benefits that you cannot receive right now.
51:46
You just can't. In this world, you will have trouble. In this world, you will have trials but take heart because I've overcome the world. Jesus, John 16, right? Peter was right there, heard it firsthand.
51:57
Preserved in heaven for you. For you. Oh, look at this. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's speaking to Christians.
52:08
Who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again. He recognizes that not everyone is born again. He recognizes that there is a separation that happens. There are sheep and there are goats. There are is a separation.
52:20
He caused us to be born again. To a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away. Reserved in heaven for you. The whole Roman Empire and all of their beliefs and all of their gods, Elysium, and all the different stuff. He's saying, this is for you.
52:46
Those of you who believe. Now, that's an encouragement. He does go on about spreading the gospel. He does talk about that later. Salvation though, he wants for you to know it's available and if you have it, you have it and it's secured, you who are protected by the power of God.
53:04
Now this part, protected by the power of God. This is I'm using the New American Standard. I usually use ESV. I have used New King James before. I have used various translations over the years, the New Living Translation for Act.
53:16
But this one is new American Standard. The protected by the power of God is a good translation. These are the different translations of it. New International says, those who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. I I like that but I like protected better.
53:38
And through the through your faith, it's by grace through faith. Through your faith, God is protecting you by his power. That's New Living Translation. Until you receive this ultimate salvation which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. The English standard is, you who by God's power are being guarded.
53:59
That's a good translation too. Berean Literal Bible, I like to. It's not Young's Literal Translation but the Berean Literal Bible says, who are being guarded by the power of God? It emphasizes that progressive action going forth in life. You're being guarded by the power of God and King James, I like this one a lot too.
54:19
This one is a a title of a book that I really like but kept by the power of God. So, I could go into a long explanation and lots of verses about why I think when you accept Christ, you have an eternal security. The text says it though. It's not because you are unwavering and you are steadfast, completely always right, and will never deny Christ or to never walk away or never reject the Holy Spirit's inspiration for you to move on forward. No.
54:51
It's because of the power of God in your life. If he has you, nothing can pluck you out of his hand and if he has you, he will keep you. Does that make sense? Alright. So, protected by the power of God through faith.
55:07
It is through faith. James says so. Paul says so. Peter says so. John says so.
55:15
The Bible says so. The Psalms say so. Those of you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation that's ready to be revealed in the last time. We're halfway through. Ready to be revealed?
55:30
We're literally halfway through. We haven't seen this ultimate salvation. We experience being saved and experience the freedom and liberty that that gives, the release from the guilt. If you really can fathom that, it's incredibly liberating experience. You who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
55:51
In this, you and it keep on saying in you, you greatly rejoice. Even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials. I'd say, lighten Christians on fire in Nero's Garden is a trial, right? To see that that's what's happening. Persecution though is always good for the church.
56:11
In the good times where nothing's going wrong, then, Christianity overflows its bounds in a way. Christianity, the religion, right? Overflows its bound. Not just those who are followers of Christ, not those who are completely committed to Christ. In the good times, everybody's fine with being a Christian but when the going gets tough, like high school, right?
56:33
Oh my goodness. High school start back up in a couple of weeks here. That's a fiery trial. It is. It may be in your workplace.
56:42
It might be. So this this book is very very pertinent. In The US, we have experienced a level of religious freedom that's pretty much unknown in lots of places in the world. So, to us, first Peter might be, yeah, whatever. But in those places where there's been communism and there have been other influencing social situations where persecution has been absolutely real.
57:08
First Peter is one of those books that they just hang on, you know? Seriously, when I first got here, went to first Peter because I felt like this was going to be a fiery trial. I'm not saying it hadn't. I love it. I love it.
57:24
In this, you greatly rejoice. Though now for a little while, if you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable. We don't think it's of gold as being perishable. It's one of the most highly sought after earthly things but it is perishable. Even though tested by fire, the purity of gold gets to be more and more valuable as it is tested by fire.
57:54
He's equating the Christian life to that and saying it's even more so. It's even more true. It may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revealing and whenever revelation, revelation is a church word but just think of revealing is like, okay, I'm seeing something like this but then, now, I'm seeing more. That's a revealing. Now, I'm seeing even more.
58:17
Now, I'm seeing even more, right? It's a progressive revealing of things. So, revelation, don't get stuck in that church word and just think, oh, whatever. That's crazy. That's for Pentecostals.
58:30
No, it's at the revealing of Christ. When he shows you more of himself, alright? Maybe found a result in praise and glory and honor which brings us to point number two. God is to be praised. God is to be praised because he has great mercy and new life and living hope and all of that is made available through Jesus resurrection.
58:50
So, in this, you greatly rejoice. Even though now for a little while, if you necessary, you have been distressed by your various trials. So, the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable. Even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revealing of Jesus Christ and though you have not seen him, have any of y'all seen Jesus? With your eyes, have you seen Jesus?
59:15
You know what? None of those people or not many of those people, Peter did not assume that those people in those far flung Roman provinces had ever laid their eyes on Jesus. He did not. Now, Jesus had been with him for three years but he's saying, and though you have not seen him, you love him. Peter understood their situation very, very well.
59:36
If you're a Christian, you love Jesus, but you hadn't seen him. He says, and though you do not see him now. So, in the past, you haven't seen him and right now, you still don't see him. But you believe in him. Remember when Jesus prayed in the garden?
59:50
Usually when I say that, I say, for the unity of the church but he said, I pray for these whom you have given me. I have not lost them and I pray for all who will believe because of what they report about me. This is who he's writing to. People who have never seen Jesus but know him. Experience him and love it.
1:00:10
Just like you. If you believe in Jesus, this is to you. This letter is directly to you but believe in him, you, all of y'all, greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. You can try and try and try to tell somebody but you can't come to the end of it. John says, if everything were written, that should be written about Jesus, the whole world couldn't hang all the volumes that it would take to tell it.
1:00:35
It's inexpressible, this joy, and it's full of glory, fame for God. Because God is to be praised for his great mercy, his new life, and his living hope doesn't fade, undefiled. Imperishable, and reserved in heaven. Last verse here, we're going to go through today is obtaining as the outcome of your faith. So, it's by God's grace.
1:01:03
Paul says that over and over. Peter says that at the beginning of this but it's by grace but it's accessible through your faith. Obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. The first section that we're going go through is all about salvation. Now, is there anybody that will witness to and can testify to a joy inexpressible and full of glory?
1:01:25
Yeah, seriously. Raise your hand. Holler out if you need to. Express it. Try your best, okay?
1:01:33
There may be some in here who do not know and you feel like your life is in peril, you feel like your walk is in peril when you go back into school, work, church, maybe. The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your soul as long as it is in Christ Jesus. The way, the truth, the life. God is to be praised for his great mercy, his new life, his living hope. All of that's made available through Jesus's resurrection and I think that's the last slide.
1:02:02
Nope, it reminds me of this. Oh, I've got one more thing. It's Paul. It's one sentence in Paul. I'm only going to read it.
1:02:08
I'm not going preach it, alright? I'm just going through it. So, this is Paul. I I didn't want for you to go through withdrawals this morning from not having enough Paul. Here you go.
1:02:17
Blessed be. This is his opening volley in Ephesians. It's just like the opening volley of praise and doxology that Peter gives. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.
1:02:38
He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace in which he has blessed us in the beloved in him. That's Christ. We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, Christ. Things in heaven and things on earth in him, Christ. We have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the council of his will as God almighty.
1:03:22
So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. They were just first. Does that make sense? This ongoing message, the message of the cross is what brings us here together today. Amen.
1:03:36
Christ prayed for us in the garden. Those who would hear though they have not seen. In him, Christ, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, Christ. You were sealed. Praise God.
1:03:50
For that ceiling which happens. It's with the promised Holy Spirit who the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. So, that's Paul's summation of summation two zero two word sentence. That's he keeps it tight. Would you all stand up?
1:04:12
I'm gonna invite the band to come back up, and let's sing this out, this last song. Amen. And I've got a double benediction for you. How abundant are the good things that you have stored up? For those who fear you, lord, that you bestow in the sight of all on those who take refuge in you.
1:08:47
That was from Psalms. That was way before Peter's time, right? And then, we've got this next one which is, now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance and the Lord be with you all. In Jesus name, the word lord be with you all. Amen.
