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Advent 2020: Hope - 1 Peter 1:3-5 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
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  To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
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  Our study this morning will be outlined in the following three points.
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  Number one, the praiseworthiness of God.
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  Number two, the hopelessness of mankind.
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  And number three, the hope of the born again.
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  Number one, the praiseworthiness of God.
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  Peter begins the body of his epistle with a phrase of praise to God.
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  There in the first part of verse three, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  What does Peter mean by saying blessed?
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  This is not the Greek word translated in other places as blessed, meaning happy or fortunate.
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  This is an entirely different Greek word, which means praised.
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  So verse three could be rendered praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  The indicative mood of the Greek word for blessed is used instead of the optative mood, which simply means this.
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  The optative mood is used to express a wish.
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  The indicative mood is used to make factual statements.
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  So not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed as a hope that that we would bless God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  But rather, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is blessed.
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  He's making this praise declaration, right?
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  God is praise worthy.
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  In the book of Ruth, when Ruth returns after gathering barley in the field of Boaz and Naomi sees what she is, that she is able to bring home all of this food.
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  She exclaims, blessed be the man who took notice of you.
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  This is Ruth chapter two and verse 19.
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  She's not wishing fortune on Boaz, but praising him for his generosity towards Ruth.
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  So Peter begins with this exclamation of God's praiseworthiness before elaborating on his reason for praise.
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  He is saying our God is worthy of praise.
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  But then he'll go on to tell us why.
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  Why is God praiseworthy?
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  27 times in the Old Testament, the phrase Baruch Adonai, blessed be God, is used.
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  So it was a very common way to give praise to God, to ascribe it to him.
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  But here Peter adds to the phrase, this Old Testament phrase, Baruch Adonai, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  He expands the Old Testament statement of praise to help us better understand who this God is that we are to praise.
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  In John chapter five and verse 18, John records, this was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, being Christ.
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  Because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God.
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  So we relate most readily to God through his son, Jesus Christ.
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  Jesus is God incarnate.
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  And those who will worship God rightly will worship him through his son.
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  And because of all that was accomplished by his son.
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  Which is why Peter elaborates in the following verses.
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  The point being, theology should lead us to doxology.
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  Our understanding of who our God is in the person and work of Christ should make us praise him.
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  He is praiseworthy.
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  The Bible was not written for us to merely know things about God.
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  To stack up the facts about him.
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  If we see him rightly by this book, then we will know him and we will be known by him.
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  And this absolutely necessitates our praise.
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  We ought to be moved to praise as we consider the things of God.
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  Is your life filled with the praise of God?
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  We do this in varied ways.
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  We do this verbally.
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  We do this in our heart, in our emotions, as we feel things towards the world and things towards God.
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  We do this in the way that we love one another.
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  Is your life bent in praise toward God?
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  If not, it's very possible that you don't know the things about God that you ought to know.
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  That you're not aware this morning that God is praiseworthy.
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  Or it could be that you know those things and yet you don't rightly hold them.
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  You don't rightly take them up and meditate upon them.
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  Understand your unworthiness and the way that God has loved you in Christ and therefore his praise worthiness.
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  Those of you who know me well know that I'm not a typically very emotional person.
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  I often pray that God will help me emote as I ought to.
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  This morning I was on my way here early and listened to a song called Behold Our God being sung by a choir.
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  And I started crying and I thought, what is wrong with you?
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  That was the immediate thought that went through my head.
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  What is going on with you this morning?
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  And I realized that I was actually having a wonderful response.
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  The praise worthiness of our God.
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  That it was actually a good and natural thing that I should be so overjoyed with our God.
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  Behold Our God.
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  He is praiseworthy.
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  So do not miss the praiseworthiness of God this morning in this text.
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  We don't want to move on quickly to the particulars.
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  We want to recognize that Peter is saying to us,
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  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  Our Lord is worthy of our praise.
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  Christ.
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  Second, noticed in the text, the hopelessness of mankind.
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  In order to see this point, we need to read a bit through today's text.
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  Peter says in verse 3,
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  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again.
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  Mercy is compassion shown where wrath is due.
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  Compassion shown where wrath is due.
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  We would have no need of mercy if we had not transgressed God's law and therefore deserved his wrath.
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  By transgressing God's law, which we have all done, we have rejected him as our king.
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  We have done what is right in our own eyes.
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  We think that we ought to self-determine the way in which we should go.
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  We have become rebels against our God.
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  Things would be all good if we had not done that.
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  But we have.
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  All mankind has acted with great wickedness.
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  This is the curse of the fall.
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  That Adam's sin, his nature passed to us and his guilt passed to us.
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  Apart from Christ, you and I are not all right.
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  We have a huge, huge problem.
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  We are separated from our creator.
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  This life will be miserable and without hope.
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  And the life to come will be all the more miserable and without hope.
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  As we are taken from him and devoid of his grace and mercy forever.
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  Remember, the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 12 of the Ephesian believers before Jesus intervened in their life.
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  Remember that you are at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
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  This is a miserable state.
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  The world is running around trying to find the answer to the great problem that they have and not recognizing that the hope that they need, the restoration that is necessary is one that comes from God and is to God.
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  Apart from the mercy of God and the person and work of Jesus Christ, mankind is utterly hopeless because their end is destruction.
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  Paul wrote to the Philippian believers, chapter 3, verse 18 and into verse 19.
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  Many of whom I have often told you and now tell you, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
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  Their end is destruction.
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  If you have not believed in Jesus' accomplished work on your behalf, you are hopeless.
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  As you see the hope of the born again and long for the hope that we have, turn from the hopelessness of mankind in repentance and faith.
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  Believe in Jesus, what he has done on your behalf.
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  And we would pray this morning that you would discover hope, everlasting, abounding hope this day.
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  Now, beloved, those who are in Christ need to display this hope to the world around us.
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  This desperately hopeless mankind.
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  Peter later in this letter is going to ask us to be ready to give an answer when people ask us about the hope that we have.
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  Do we hope in the same things that the world hopes in?
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  Maybe this is why they don't ask the question.
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  Because they see the failing of our hope just as their hope fails.
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  We are meant to have a transcendent hope.
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  An alien hope.
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  A hope that is not our own but granted to us because of what God has done for us.
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  We are meant to be strange in this world.
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  But people would say, what is this hope?
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  And that we would give them the answer of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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  So let's look thirdly at the hope of the born again.
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  I hope that each and every person in this room today is, in fact, born again.
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  Has this hope.
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  Peter tells us that God is praiseworthy because, according to his great mercy,
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  he has caused us to be born again.
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  Notice first that it is according to his great mercy that we have been shown mercy.
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  God is merciful.
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  This is part of who he is.
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  This identifies him.
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  Moses wrote in Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 31,
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  The Lord your God is a merciful God.
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  We have nothing to offer to the equation of our new birth.
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  We bring nothing to the table to come and sit down and draw up a peace treaty with God.
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  We have nothing to offer.
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  So it is owing entirely to the character of God that we receive any benefit from him.
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  It is according to his great mercy.
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  Because God is merciful toward mankind.
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  He has caused us to be born again.
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  Us who did not deserve to be given a new birth.
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  Rebels, enemies, deserved his wrath.
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  He instead has given to us his mercy.
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  And he has caused us to be born again.
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  What does it mean to be born again?
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  And how does this happen?
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  In John chapter 3, Jesus has a conversation with a priest named Nicodemus.
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  In verse 3 and following, John records,
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  Jesus answered him,
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  Truly, truly, I say to you,
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  unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
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  How can a man be born when he is old?
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  Can he enter a second time into his mother womb and be born?
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  Jesus answered,
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  Truly, truly, I say to you,
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  unless one is born of water and the spirit,
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  he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
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  That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
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  and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.
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  Do not marvel that I said to you,
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  you must be born again.
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  Right?
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  So he says,
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  Don't be surprised that I've said this thing.
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  In your natural birth,
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  you know, Nicodemus,
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  that you have a sin nature
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  and that you are guilty before God.
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  That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
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  And so there must be this renewal,
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  this regeneration.
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  We must be born of the spirit.
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  So to be born again is to be born of the spirit.
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  We find this precious doctrine of regeneration.
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  Right?
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  A people made new,
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  not just in degree,
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  but in kind.
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  Right?
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  Not born again,
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  now born again.
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  Right?
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  Enemies of God now made friends.
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  Right?
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  Those without a family,
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  without a people,
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  now called God's family.
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  Right?
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  Adopted in Christ.
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  We do not and cannot work our way
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  into the kingdom of God.
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  This is all a doing of him by his spirit.
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  In Ezekiel chapter 36 and verse 27,
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  God speaks to the prophet Ezekiel and says,
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  And I will put my spirit within you
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  and cause you to walk in my statutes
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  and be careful to obey my rules.
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  Right?
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  This order is so very important.
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  We don't work.
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  We don't earn and then find ourselves saved.
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  We're saved.
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  And therefore,
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  we work.
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  Because of the wonderful kindness of God
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  to us in Christ.
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  Right?
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  Making us new.
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  Giving us the ability by his spirit
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  to obey.
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  We obey.
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  Right?
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  We declare his glory amongst the nations
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  because he has caused us
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  to be born again.
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  This does not happen
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  by human design.
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  Beloved,
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  if we were left alone,
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  we would never choose to do this.
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  Right?
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  Our nature would send us
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  in the opposite direction,
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  away from God
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  each and every day.
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  This should be massively humbling
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  to us.
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  As you look around
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  in a world in chaos
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  right now,
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  it is so easy.
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  We are so quick to judge others.
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  How could they think that way?
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  How could they believe such a thing?
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  How could they say that?
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  How could they act
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  so wickedly?
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  You ought to say,
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  but,
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  from the grace of God,
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  I would be the worst
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  of sinners.
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  Right?
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  That would be me
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  had God not saved
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  my soul.
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  In every single way,
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  I would be an enemy
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  of God.
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  Right?
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  I would be so bent
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  away from him
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  by my design,
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  but praise be to God
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  because of his great mercy
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  he has caused us
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  to be born again.
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  Right?
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  And let me add
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  a little
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  to the text,
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  1 Peter.
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  From John chapter 3,
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  he's caused us
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  to be born again
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  by the power
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  of the Spirit.
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  John 3,
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  8,
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  Jesus says,
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  the wind blows
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  where it wishes
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  and you hear it sound,
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  but you do not know
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  where it comes from
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  or where it goes.
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  So it is with everyone
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  who is born
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  of the Spirit.
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  God brings about
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  this new birth.
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  John 1,
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  verse 12,
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  and following,
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  but to all who did receive him
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  who believed in his name,
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  he gave the right
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  to become children
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  of God
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  who were born
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  not of blood
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  nor of the will
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  of the flesh
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  nor of the will
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  of man,
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  but of God.
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  Proceeding from God.
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  1 John chapter 5
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  and verse 1,
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  everyone who believes
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  that Jesus is the Christ
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  has been born of God.
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  We've been born of God
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  so we believe
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  that Jesus is the Christ
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  and everyone who loves
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  the Father loves
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  whoever was been born
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  of him.
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  So God causes
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  this new birth
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  by the power
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  of the Spirit
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  and he does it
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  through the Word
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  of God.
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  You can look a little
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  further down
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  in 1 Peter chapter 1
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  beginning in verse 23.
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  There Peter writes,
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  Since you have been
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  born again,
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  not of perishable seed
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  but of imperishable
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  through the living
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  and abiding
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  Word of God.
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  For all flesh
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  is like grass
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  and its glory
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  like the flower
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  of grass.
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  The grass withers
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  and the flower
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  falls
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  but the Word
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  of the Lord
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  remains forever
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  and this Word
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  is the good news
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  that was preached
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  to you.
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  So God has caused us
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  to be born again
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  and he has caused us
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  to be born again
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  to a living hope.
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  This is so good.
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  He has caused us
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  to be born again
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  to a living hope.
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  And I think it's important
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  at this point
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  to make sure we're clear
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  on what our Bibles
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  mean when speaking
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  of hope.
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  I believe this quotation
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  from R.C. Sproul
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  will serve us well
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  to that end.
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  He once said,
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  Hope is called
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  the anchor
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  of the soul
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  in Hebrews 6.19
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  because it gives
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  stability
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  to the Christian life.
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  But hope is not
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  simply a wish.
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  We do this a lot.
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  I wish that such
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  and such
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  would take place.
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  Rather,
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  it is that
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  which latches
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  onto the certainty
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  of the promises
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  of the future
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  that God
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  has made.
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  That last part
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  of it again.
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  Hope is that
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  which latches
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  onto the certainty
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  of the promises
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  of the future
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  that God
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  has made.
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  Hope is
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  faith
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  in future tense.
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  Believing
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  in what God
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  has said
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  will come
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  to pass.
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  So Peter tells us
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  not only
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  that we have
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  hope,
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  but he uses
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  a very interesting
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  phrase
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  to say it.
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  He says we have
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  a living.
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  Hope.
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  Suppose
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  is meant
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  by that.
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  Now it could
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  refer to an
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  active hope
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  as in a hope
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  in the future
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  promises of God
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  that will yield
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  fruit for us
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  today.
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  It's a hope
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  that's alive,
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  it's living,
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  it's right now.
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  I think it does
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  mean that.
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  It could refer
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  to us being
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  born again
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  and therefore
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  we are alive
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  and have a
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  living hope
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  because we
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  are alive
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  and I also
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  think that it
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  does mean
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  that.
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  But I do
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  think that
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  most directly
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  and most
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  importantly,
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  it refers
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  to the phrase
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  that immediately
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  follows it.
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  through the
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  resurrection
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  of Jesus
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  Christ
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  from the dead.
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  We've been
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  born again
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  to a living
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  hope
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  through the
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  resurrection
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  of Jesus
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  Christ
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  from the dead.
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  I think that
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  Peter means to
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  tell us
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  that we have
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  a living hope
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  and that hope
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  is Jesus
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  Christ
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  who is alive.
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  We can have
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  an active hope
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  that's in us
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  today,
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  it means something
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  for today.
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  We can have
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  a hope
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  that is alive
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  because we
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  are alive
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  born again
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  but all of
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  that is because
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  Jesus Christ
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  is alive.
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  He is
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  our living
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  hope.
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  Jesus became
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  a man in
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  order to live
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  the perfect
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  life that we
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  should have
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  lived.
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  It was required
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  of us by
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  the Mosaic
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  Covenant.
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  We must be
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  perfect before
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  God to be
• 22:23
  accepted in
• 22:24
  God.
• 22:24
  How can we
• 22:25
  do such a
• 22:26
  thing?
• 22:26
  We've already
• 22:27
  screwed that
• 22:27
  up.
• 22:28
  We've already
• 22:29
  transgressed the
• 22:30
  law.
• 22:31
  We can't
• 22:31
  make it
• 22:32
  right.
• 22:32
  We've already
• 22:33
  failed.
• 22:35
  Well,
• 22:35
  Jesus enters
• 22:36
  the scene
• 22:36
  in the
• 22:37
  incarnation
• 22:38
  and lives
• 22:39
  the life
• 22:39
  that we
• 22:40
  were supposed
• 22:41
  to live.
• 22:43
  And not
• 22:43
  only that,
• 22:44
  he dies
• 22:45
  the death
• 22:46
  that we
• 22:47
  deserved.
• 22:48
  He pays
• 22:50
  for all
• 22:50
  of that
• 22:51
  wrath
• 22:51
  that is
• 22:52
  owed
• 22:52
  us.
• 22:54
  God is
• 22:54
  not able
• 22:55
  to not
• 22:56
  punish
• 22:57
  sin.
• 22:57
  He
• 22:58
  doesn't
• 22:58
  simply
• 22:58
  wipe
• 22:59
  the
• 22:59
  slate
• 22:59
  clean.
• 23:00
  He
• 23:00
  must
• 23:01
  punish
• 23:01
  it
• 23:01
  somehow.
• 23:03
  So how?
• 23:04
  He punished
• 23:05
  it in
• 23:06
  Christ.
• 23:08
  So if you
• 23:09
  were in
• 23:09
  Christ this
• 23:10
  morning,
• 23:11
  you have
• 23:12
  been born
• 23:12
  again.
• 23:13
  What has
• 23:13
  happened for
• 23:14
  you is
• 23:14
  what's called
• 23:14
  double
• 23:15
  imputation.
• 23:17
  There's a
• 23:17
  trade that's
• 23:18
  taken place.
• 23:21
  What we
• 23:21
  bring is
• 23:22
  our sinfulness
• 23:23
  sinfulness,
• 23:23
  and Christ
• 23:25
  pays the
• 23:25
  penalty for
• 23:26
  that sinfulness.
• 23:28
  What he
• 23:29
  gives to
• 23:29
  us is
• 23:30
  his
• 23:30
  righteousness.
• 23:33
  How
• 23:34
  unfair
• 23:34
  of a
• 23:35
  trade.
• 23:37
  We are
• 23:38
  beneficiaries
• 23:39
  of God's
• 23:40
  great
• 23:41
  mercy to
• 23:42
  us
• 23:42
  in Christ.
• 23:45
  Double
• 23:45
  imputation.
• 23:46
  What a
• 23:46
  precious
• 23:47
  thing.
• 23:48
  So we
• 23:48
  live the
• 23:49
  life that
• 23:49
  we should
• 23:49
  have lived.
• 23:49
  He died
• 23:50
  the death
• 23:50
  that we
• 23:51
  deserve.
• 23:52
  And he
• 23:54
  defeated
• 23:54
  death by
• 23:55
  being
• 23:56
  resurrected.
• 23:57
  Jesus
• 23:57
  Christ is
• 23:58
  raised from
• 23:59
  the dead.
• 24:02
  Jesus
• 24:02
  Christ now
• 24:03
  sits at
• 24:05
  God's right
• 24:06
  hand in
• 24:07
  what is
• 24:08
  called his
• 24:08
  session.
• 24:10
  He reigns.
• 24:11
  He is
• 24:11
  ruling.
• 24:12
  Nothing is
• 24:13
  happening outside
• 24:14
  of his
• 24:14
  careful attention.
• 24:16
  He is
• 24:16
  working on
• 24:17
  behalf of
• 24:17
  his people
• 24:18
  all the
• 24:19
  time.
• 24:20
  Actively,
• 24:20
  not passively.
• 24:21
  He is
• 24:22
  interceding
• 24:22
  for us.
• 24:23
  This is
• 24:23
  a thing
• 24:23
  that he is
• 24:24
  doing in
• 24:24
  his heavenly
• 24:25
  realm.
• 24:25
  But he
• 24:25
  is ruling
• 24:26
  in the
• 24:27
  earth.
• 24:29
  We of
• 24:30
  all people
• 24:31
  in crazy
• 24:33
  times should
• 24:34
  be steady
• 24:35
  because we
• 24:35
  have a
• 24:36
  living hope.
• 24:38
  Christ,
• 24:39
  the one
• 24:39
  who reigns.
• 24:41
  We have
• 24:42
  his spirit
• 24:43
  who helps
• 24:44
  us to
• 24:44
  walk
• 24:45
  obediently
• 24:46
  in him.
• 24:48
  Beloved,
• 24:48
  we cannot
• 24:49
  miss in
• 24:50
  the
• 24:50
  Advent
• 24:51
  celebration
• 24:51
  that we're
• 24:52
  looking back
• 24:53
  to a
• 24:54
  first coming
• 24:54
  but that
• 24:56
  we're
• 24:56
  actually
• 24:56
  meant to
• 24:57
  be thinking
• 24:57
  now about
• 24:58
  a second
• 24:59
  coming.
• 25:00
  Christmas
• 25:01
  is aimed
• 25:03
  at Easter,
• 25:04
  the resurrection
• 25:05
  of Christ
• 25:06
  which guaranteed
• 25:07
  everything
• 25:08
  that God
• 25:09
  said would
• 25:10
  come to
• 25:10
  pass
• 25:11
  in Jesus.
• 25:12
  Jesus.
• 25:13
  He has
• 25:14
  become the
• 25:14
  surety of
• 25:15
  all of
• 25:16
  God's
• 25:16
  promises
• 25:17
  to his
• 25:18
  people.
• 25:20
  Paul wrote
• 25:20
  in 2 Corinthians
• 25:21
  chapter 1
• 25:22
  beginning of
• 25:22
  verse 20.
• 25:24
  I love the
• 25:25
  beginning of
• 25:26
  verse 20.
• 25:26
  2 Corinthians
• 25:27
  chapter 1
• 25:28
  for all the
• 25:29
  promises of
• 25:30
  God find
• 25:31
  their yes
• 25:33
  in Jesus
• 25:34
  Christ.
• 25:35
  The surety,
• 25:36
  the guarantee
• 25:37
  because of what
• 25:38
  he has
• 25:39
  accomplished.
• 25:41
  and in 1 Timothy
• 25:42
  chapter 1
• 25:43
  and verse 1
• 25:43
  Paul opens
• 25:44
  his letter
• 25:44
  this way.
• 25:45
  Paul,
• 25:46
  an apostle
• 25:46
  of Christ
• 25:47
  Jesus
• 25:47
  by command
• 25:48
  of God
• 25:49
  our Savior
• 25:49
  and of
• 25:50
  Christ
• 25:50
  Jesus
• 25:51
  our
• 25:52
  hope.
• 25:55
  If hope
• 25:56
  depends on
• 25:56
  us,
• 25:58
  we are
• 25:59
  without
• 25:59
  hope.
• 26:01
  If you
• 26:01
  place any
• 26:02
  hope in
• 26:02
  me,
• 26:03
  you're going
• 26:04
  to be
• 26:04
  disappointed.
• 26:06
  But you
• 26:07
  can anchor
• 26:08
  yourself
• 26:08
  in Christ.
• 26:10
  He is
• 26:10
  our
• 26:11
  living
• 26:12
  hope.
• 26:13
  He is
• 26:14
  our
• 26:14
  resurrected
• 26:15
  Savior.
• 26:18
  Everything
• 26:18
  that follows
• 26:18
  in verses
• 26:19
  4 and
• 26:19
  5
• 26:20
  elaborate
• 26:20
  on this
• 26:21
  idea
• 26:21
  of being
• 26:21
  born
• 26:22
  again
• 26:22
  to a
• 26:23
  living
• 26:24
  hope.
• 26:24
  So in
• 26:25
  brief,
• 26:25
  let me
• 26:25
  just talk
• 26:26
  us through
• 26:27
  those last
• 26:28
  two verses.
• 26:29
  Number
• 26:29
  one,
• 26:30
  through
• 26:31
  Christ,
• 26:31
  we have
• 26:32
  an
• 26:33
  inheritance.
• 26:36
  Not only
• 26:36
  have we
• 26:36
  been made
• 26:37
  right with
• 26:37
  God,
• 26:38
  not only
• 26:38
  have our
• 26:38
  sins
• 26:38
  been forgiven,
• 26:39
  we've been
• 26:39
  found
• 26:40
  righteous
• 26:40
  in
• 26:41
  Christ,
• 26:41
  but verse
• 26:41
  4 says,
• 26:42
  to an
• 26:43
  inheritance
• 26:43
  that is
• 26:44
  imperishable,
• 26:45
  undefiled,
• 26:46
  and unfading,
• 26:47
  kept in
• 26:48
  heaven for
• 26:50
  you.
• 26:51
  We have
• 26:52
  an immortal,
• 26:55
  perfect forever
• 26:56
  inheritance that
• 26:57
  is secured in
• 26:58
  heaven for
• 27:00
  us.
• 27:01
  An
• 27:02
  eternal
• 27:02
  treasure
• 27:03
  for us.
• 27:05
  And this
• 27:06
  should
• 27:06
  dramatically
• 27:06
  change the
• 27:07
  way in
• 27:08
  which we
• 27:08
  live in
• 27:08
  this world.
• 27:10
  I see
• 27:11
  far too
• 27:12
  many
• 27:12
  Christians,
• 27:13
  I see
• 27:13
  myself,
• 27:15
  during the
• 27:15
  Christmas
• 27:15
  season,
• 27:16
  chasing the
• 27:17
  things of
• 27:17
  the world,
• 27:18
  finding joy
• 27:19
  and satisfaction,
• 27:20
  ultimate joy and
• 27:21
  satisfaction in
• 27:21
  the things of
• 27:22
  the world.
• 27:23
  They will
• 27:24
  disappoint.
• 27:26
  But we
• 27:26
  have a
• 27:27
  future
• 27:28
  reward that
• 27:29
  we are
• 27:30
  meant to
• 27:31
  look to.
• 27:32
  Jesus said in
• 27:32
  Matthew 6,
• 27:33
  verse 19,
• 27:33
  and following,
• 27:34
  do not lay
• 27:34
  up for
• 27:35
  yourselves
• 27:35
  treasures on
• 27:35
  earth where
• 27:36
  moth and
• 27:36
  rust destroy
• 27:37
  and where
• 27:37
  thieves break
• 27:38
  in and
• 27:38
  steal.
• 27:39
  Lay up for
• 27:40
  yourselves
• 27:40
  treasure in
• 27:41
  heaven where
• 27:41
  neither moth
• 27:42
  nor rust
• 27:42
  destroys and
• 27:43
  where thieves
• 27:44
  do not break
• 27:45
  in and
• 27:46
  steal.
• 27:46
  It would be
• 27:47
  foolish to
• 27:48
  invest in
• 27:49
  this life and
• 27:51
  not be investing
• 27:52
  in the life that
• 27:53
  is to come.
• 27:54
  Through Christ we
• 27:55
  have an
• 27:56
  inheritance.
• 27:58
  And secondly,
• 27:58
  through Christ we
• 27:59
  have security.
• 28:01
  Who by God's,
• 28:02
  verse 5,
• 28:03
  who by God's
• 28:03
  power are
• 28:04
  being guarded
• 28:04
  through faith
• 28:05
  for a salvation
• 28:07
  ready to be
• 28:07
  revealed in
• 28:08
  the last time.
• 28:10
  Those who
• 28:11
  God saves,
• 28:12
  he keeps.
• 28:14
  Those who
• 28:15
  he saves,
• 28:16
  he keeps.
• 28:19
  Having been
• 28:19
  saved,
• 28:20
  if it were up
• 28:21
  to me to be
• 28:22
  saved,
• 28:23
  I would again
• 28:24
  and again and
• 28:24
  again lose
• 28:25
  that salvation.
• 28:26
  I would run
• 28:28
  away from the
• 28:29
  kindness and
• 28:30
  mercy of God.
• 28:31
  but because
• 28:32
  he has
• 28:33
  saved me,
• 28:33
  he will
• 28:34
  keep me.
• 28:36
  Remember,
• 28:36
  he has
• 28:37
  caused us
• 28:38
  to be born
• 28:39
  again.
• 28:41
  In John
• 28:41
  chapter 10,
• 28:42
  verse 28 and
• 28:43
  following,
• 28:43
  Jesus said,
• 28:44
  I give my
• 28:45
  sheep eternal
• 28:46
  life and
• 28:47
  they will
• 28:48
  never perish
• 28:49
  and no one
• 28:51
  will snatch
• 28:51
  them out of
• 28:52
  my hand.
• 28:53
  My father
• 28:54
  who has given
• 28:54
  them to me
• 28:55
  is greater
• 28:55
  than all and
• 28:56
  no one is
• 28:57
  able to snatch
• 28:58
  them out of
• 28:58
  the father's
• 28:59
  hand.
• 28:59
  I and
• 29:00
  the father
• 29:01
  are one.
• 29:03
  Paul wrote
• 29:04
  in Philippians
• 29:05
  chapter 1
• 29:05
  and verse 6,
• 29:06
  and I am
• 29:07
  sure of
• 29:08
  this,
• 29:09
  that he
• 29:09
  who began
• 29:10
  a good
• 29:10
  work in
• 29:10
  you will
• 29:11
  bring it
• 29:12
  to completion
• 29:13
  at the
• 29:14
  day of
• 29:15
  Jesus
• 29:15
  Christ.
• 29:17
  So those
• 29:18
  who God
• 29:18
  has caused
• 29:19
  to be born
• 29:19
  again have
• 29:20
  a living
• 29:20
  hope through
• 29:21
  the resurrection
• 29:21
  of Jesus
• 29:22
  Christ from
• 29:23
  the dead
• 29:24
  and have a
• 29:25
  perfect
• 29:25
  inheritance
• 29:26
  kept in
• 29:27
  heaven for
• 29:28
  us.
• 29:28
  And we
• 29:29
  are being
• 29:30
  guarded by
• 29:31
  faith,
• 29:32
  by God's
• 29:33
  power to
• 29:34
  that end.
• 29:37
  This is why
• 29:37
  we can join
• 29:38
  with Peter
• 29:39
  and the
• 29:39
  church past
• 29:40
  and present
• 29:41
  and future
• 29:42
  and the
• 29:44
  chorus of
• 29:44
  heaven in
• 29:45
  saying,
• 29:46
  blessed be
• 29:47
  the God
• 29:47
  and Father
• 29:48
  of our
• 29:48
  Lord Jesus
• 29:49
  Christ.
• 29:50
  Praised
• 29:51
  be our
• 29:52
  God for
• 29:54
  what he
• 29:54
  has done
• 29:55
  for us
• 29:55
  in Christ.
• 29:58
  Beloved,
• 29:59
  this Christmas
• 29:59
  season,
• 30:01
  may it be
• 30:01
  true of
• 30:02
  us that
• 30:02
  we will
• 30:02
  be a
• 30:02
  people who
• 30:03
  experience
• 30:04
  the living
• 30:04
  hope of
• 30:05
  the gospel
• 30:06
  of Jesus
• 30:06
  Christ,
• 30:07
  that we
• 30:08
  display the
• 30:09
  living hope
• 30:09
  of the gospel
• 30:10
  of Jesus
• 30:10
  Christ,
• 30:11
  and that we
• 30:12
  proclaim the
• 30:13
  living hope
• 30:14
  of the gospel
• 30:15
  of Jesus
• 30:16
  Christ.
• 30:17
  May it be
• 30:18
  true of us
• 30:18
  this Christmas
• 30:19
  season that
• 30:19
  we will be
• 30:20
  a people who
• 30:21
  say with
• 30:21
  all that we
• 30:22
  feel and
• 30:23
  do and
• 30:24
  speak,
• 30:25
  blessed be
• 30:26
  the God
• 30:26
  and Father
• 30:27
  of our
• 30:27
  Lord Jesus
• 30:28
  Christ.
• 30:29
  Let's pray
• 30:29
  together.