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What We Are To Be · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Well, we begin our worship this morning by singing to God's praise in Psalm 96 in the Scottish Psalter.
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Psalm 96, we're going to sing from verse 4 to verse 9, the tune of St. Magnus.
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For great's the Lord, and greatly he is to be magnified,
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yea, worthy to be feared is he above all gods beside.
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We'll sing from verse 4 to 9 to God's praise.
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For great's the Lord, and greatly he is to be magnified,
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yea, worthy to be feared is he above all gods beside.
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For all the gods are idols come, which blinded nations fear.
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But our God is the Lord by whom the heavens created were.
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Good honor is before this face, and majesty divine.
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Strength is within this holy place, and there does beauty shine.
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Glory to you, O Lord, and mighty power has died.
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And we'll give thee the glory to the Lord, that to this name is true.
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And we'll give thee to this Lord, standing, and offering with you.
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In beauty of his holiness, O do the Lord adore.
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Like wise that all the earth through our tremble as days before.
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Let's come to God in prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Our Father in heaven, as we come before you to this day,
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we thank you that there is a beauty that shines from you,
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and that we are to come and adore you as our Lord and as our God,
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and that your beauty may shine upon us,
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that we might see your beauty through the person of Jesus Christ,
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that we would might know more of your beauty through your word to us.
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May it speak to all our hearts today.
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May it help us to see and to know how great a God you are.
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You are the Lord, and greatly to be magnified, the psalmist says.
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And we do pray that as we come to worship you this day,
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that that will be our longing and our desire,
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that we would see you as so great and ourselves as so small.
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But yet remember how you have remembered us,
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and how you have given us all that we need,
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how you have given us a way to salvation through your own Son, Jesus Christ,
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how you have done all things that we could not.
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And we thank you for the commands of your word.
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We thank you for every instruction they give to us.
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And we pray that we would not see them as just something that is a burden to us,
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or something that is there to spoil our fun or to hinder us in any way,
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but that we would see all your laws and your commands as there for our good and for your glory.
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We thank you that the young ones just now are learning through your word about the Ten Commandments.
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And may we all come to remember them and to see them as so wonderful for us as a people and as a world.
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As we learn all about your truth, Lord, may they instruct us and guide us in our way.
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But may we see that it's more than just trying to keep your commands.
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But the greatest command of all that we are to keep is to love the Lord with all our heart,
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and to love our neighbor as ourself.
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And we thank you that that is what these commands guide us to.
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So we pray, Lord, your blessing on your word to us, young and old today,
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that we would hear your commands, that we would be obedient to them,
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and that you would bless us through them.
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Remember us in our homes and in our families and all our different needs.
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We thank you that you are a God who loves us and cares for us.
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And we pray that every burden that we have, every care and concern that we carry,
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that we will be able to bring them to you in prayer,
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knowing that you are able to help us in all our different needs.
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So hear our prayers even at this time.
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And continue with us through this day.
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May you guide us and bless us as we ask all things for the forgiveness of our sins.
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We ask it for your glory and for your sake.
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Amen.
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It's good to see you all again.
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It's good to have the children here today as well,
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and especially I'm sure you're all delighted to be back in school this last week.
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All delighted to see your teachers again,
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to hear your parents shouting at you in the morning,
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to hurry up and get ready to get to school.
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But do you like being told what to do?
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Do you like it when people say to you,
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do this and do that?
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Or do you find it sort of just spoils your fun a little bit?
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Maybe it depends who's saying it to you, does it?
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Maybe it depends if it's a brother or a sister telling you
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to go and get my shoes or go and get my jacket.
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You're saying to yourself, go and do it yourself.
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I'm not your slave.
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I'm not here just to do what you tell me to do.
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But then maybe if it's your mum or dad who are telling you to go and do these things,
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do you say the same to them?
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I hope not.
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I hope you don't even say it to your little brothers or sisters either.
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It's not the way we're to speak to people at all.
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How about when you go to school or Sunday school
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and your teachers are telling you what to do?
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Do you listen to them?
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Do you do as you're told with them?
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Do you always, if they say, do your homework,
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do you always do it, hand it in on time?
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Maybe we don't always,
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but we should seek to try and do what they're telling us.
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But who's the most important person that we're to listen to?
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Who do you think is the most important person that you're to listen to
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who's telling you what to do?
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Do you think it's your mum?
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Do you think it's your dad?
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Grandparents?
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Brothers or sisters?
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Friends?
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Do you think that's the most important people to listen to?
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No, the most important person we're to listen to is God.
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Because God tells us what we're to do.
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Again and again through his word,
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he reminds us what we are to do.
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And like I was praying there,
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you're learning about the Ten Commandments in Sunday school.
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You're learning about the things that we're to do
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and the things that we're not to do.
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And it's important to listen to that
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because God is telling you,
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this is how we're to live our lives.
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That goes for everybody here, myself included.
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God tells us what we are to do.
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Imagine if there was no laws and no rules.
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What would the world be like?
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Everybody would think,
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oh, it'd be so good if there was no rules.
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Just do as we want.
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Imagine if there was no rules for driving on the road.
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Imagine some people,
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how fast they would drive.
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I mean, there's speed limits in place today,
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but yet people don't always listen to them.
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They go faster than the speed limit says.
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But imagine if there was no rules,
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how crazy people would be on the roads.
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What about in school if there was no rules?
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You have rules in place,
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like times you have to start,
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times you finish.
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What do you just decide for yourself?
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I'll go into school at two in the afternoon
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for half an hour and that's it.
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Would you learn?
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No.
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You'd be missing out on so much.
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So there's all kinds of rules in place for us
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because they're good for us.
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But the greatest rules of all
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are how we are to live and to love God.
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And that's really what's at the heart
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of the Ten Commandments.
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God giving us great instructions,
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how we are to live for Him
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and love Him with all our hearts
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and serve Him,
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but also how we are to love others around us
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and to be obedient to all the rules
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that He has given to us.
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Today in the service in 1 Peter,
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we're looking at a command,
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an instruction that God gives to His people.
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He says,
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Be holy.
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And what does it mean to be holy?
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Sometimes we think of being holy as being good,
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but it's more than being good.
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It's about loving God with all our heart
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and doing everything that He instructs us
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and commands us
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because that's for our good
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and for His glory.
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So when you're told to do things,
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don't see it always as just burdensome
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or there to spoil your fun,
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but see it as for your good
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and especially the instructions
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that God gives to us through His Word.
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See that as for your good,
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for all our good together,
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that we would live for Him
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and love Him with all our hearts.
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So let's come to God in prayer just now
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and share the Lord's Prayer together.
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Let's say the Lord's Prayer.
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Our Father which art in heaven,
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hallowed be Thy name.
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Thy kingdom come.
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Thy will be done on earth
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as it is in heaven.
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Give us this day our daily bread
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and forgive us our debts
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as we forgive our debtors.
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And lead us not into temptation,
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but deliver us from evil.
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For Thine is the kingdom,
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the power and the glory forever.
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Amen.
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We again sing to God's praise
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just now in Psalm 103.
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Again, this is in the Scottish Psalter version,
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Psalm 103.
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We're singing verse 1 to verse 5.
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And the tune is Martyrdom.
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O thou my soul,
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bless God the Lord,
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and all that in me is,
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bested up His holy name
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to magnify and bless.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to 5
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to God's praise.
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O thou my soul,
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O thou my soul,
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best of the Lord,
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and all that in me is,
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He's stead of His holy name,
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to magnify and bless.
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O thou my soul,
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O thou my soul,
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the Lord my God,
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I'll not forget to be,
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of all His gracious benefits,
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He hath be stoned on me.
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O night and air,
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when Jesus to the most gracious
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be for Him,
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will do kidding on me.
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If you will see more than us,
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I will have indeed to amp 장 please.
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O thou thy soul,
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O Lord,
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who's t colleague and Mark,
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O wondering the best
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of all things.
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Who do-do ...
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redeem
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my life
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not down
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to death
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may
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not go down
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who
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be with
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all
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in
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kindness
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God
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and
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tender
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as
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He Wisconsin
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the
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øve
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with
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the
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bond
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and
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song
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good
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does
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satisfy
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thy
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part
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so
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that
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Out in our devil's head, renew it is I am.
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Well, can we turn to reading God's word as we come back to our study in 1 Peter?
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We'll read in 1 Peter the first chapter, the whole chapter, just to remind ourselves where we are with it.
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1 Peter chapter 1, we read the whole of the chapter together.
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Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
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according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit,
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for obedience to Jesus Christ, and for the sprinkling with his blood.
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May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
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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,
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through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
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to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
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kept in heaven for you,
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who by God's power are being guarded through faith,
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for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
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In this you rejoice, though now, for a little while,
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if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
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so the tested genuineness of your faith,
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more precious than gold that perishes,
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though it is tested by fire,
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may be found to result in praise and glory and honour
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at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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Though you have not seen him, you love him.
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Though you do not now see him, you believe in him,
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and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
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obtaining the outcome of your faith,
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the salvation of your souls.
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Concerning this salvation,
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the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
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searched and inquired carefully,
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inquiring what person or time
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the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating.
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when he predicted the sufferings of Christ
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and the subsequent glories,
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it was revealed to them
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that they were serving not themselves,
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but you,
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in the things that have now been announced to you
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through those who preached the good news to you
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by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
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things into which angels longed to look.
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Therefore,
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preparing your minds for action
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and being sober-minded,
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set your hope fully on the grace
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that will be brought to you
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at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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As obedient children,
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do not be conformed to the passions
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of your former ignorance,
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but as he who called you is holy,
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you also be holy in all your conduct.
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Since it is written,
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you shall be holy,
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for I am holy.
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And if you call on him as Father
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who judges impartially according to each one's deeds,
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conduct yourselves with fear
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throughout the time of your exile,
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knowing that you were ransomed
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from the futile ways
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inherited from your forefathers,
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not with perishable things
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such as silver or gold,
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but with the precious blood of Christ,
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like that of a lamb
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without blemish or spot.
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He was foreknown
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before the foundation of the world,
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but was made manifest
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in the last times for your sake,
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who through him
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are believers in God,
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who raised him from the dead
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and gave him glory
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so that your faith and hope
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are in God.
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Having purified your souls
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by your obedience to the truth
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for a sincere brotherly love,
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love one another earnestly
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from a pure heart,
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since you have been born again
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not of perishable seed,
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but of imperishable
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through the living and abiding word of God.
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For all flesh is like grass
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and its glory like the flower of grass.
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The grass withers
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and the flower falls,
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but the word 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 to you.
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And so on,
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and may God bless that reading
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from his word.
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We'll again come to God
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in prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Lord God,
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as we continue in worship,
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we continue in our dependence upon you
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for all things.
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For you know our weaknesses,
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you know how easily we are distracted,
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you know how easily
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we can be led astray.
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And as we think of these words
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in Peter,
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and as we come to study them today,
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we are reminded of the great challenge
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that is put before us
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to be a holy people,
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a people who are set apart for you,
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a people who live for you
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in the way that we love you
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with all our heart,
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but also as we read,
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in the way we conduct ourselves,
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conduct ourselves among one another here,
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but also in our conduct in the world
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on a day-to-day basis.
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For our worship and our praise of you
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is not just for a short time
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on this day.
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It's not just for the hour
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that we are together in worship,
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but our worship,
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our praise of you
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is something that we are to be
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a people involved in 24-7.
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So whatever we are doing,
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we do it for your glory.
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And we recognize, Lord,
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our failings in that.
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We recognize so often
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in our attempt at holiness
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and our seeking after holiness
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how far short we fall.
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So often maybe we don't even consider
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ourselves holy at all,
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but as your word reminds us,
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you have chosen a people for yourself.
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You are calling a people to yourself today,
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and that means a people
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who will be set apart,
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a people who will be different.
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And so we pray that you will help us, Lord,
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to live as those people,
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and to seek to be those people for you,
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to seek to conduct ourselves
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in a manner worthy of the gospel
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that we hear,
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the good news that is preached to us.
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And so help us, Lord,
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to confess our sins before you.
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Help us to acknowledge them
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and to know that with you
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there is forgiveness.
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And we pray, Lord,
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that you will help us
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to bow the knee before you,
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to confess from our hearts
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that we have sinned against you
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and against you only
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in thoughts, word, and deed.
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We are guilty to all ends.
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But, Lord, help us
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that you may lift us up too,
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that you will place our feet
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on the rock that is Jesus Christ,
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and that through him
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we will be able to live
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as those who are your redeemed people
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and are called people.
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Help us to go into the world,
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to go into the week ahead of us, Lord,
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to be a people
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who will conduct ourselves
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in the right manner of your calling.
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Help us to love our neighbor.
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Help us to live for those around us.
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Help us to share
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the good news of the gospel with others.
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Help us that in all that we would do,
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we would seek not our own building up,
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but that your name would be praise.
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So, Lord, humble us in your presence
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and under your holy arm today.
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Humble us under your word
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and your truth,
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that they may build us up.
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We thank you too, Lord,
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that as we come,
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we come as those
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who are fully dependent upon you
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in all things,
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but thankful too
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that you hear our prayers,
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that you know
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every thought of our heart,
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you know every burden
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that we carry,
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be it for ourselves,
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be it for our families,
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be it for those around us
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in our communities,
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in our homes,
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in our own families,
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be it for our nation
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or the nations of the world.
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Lord, we thank you
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that we do not carry everything alone
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for it is impossible for us,
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but we come to bring our burdens to you.
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And so we ask, Lord,
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that you will deal graciously with us
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and those we love and care for,
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be gracious towards those
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who struggle in different ways
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at this time,
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those who are weighed down
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with sorrow and sadness
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in their hearts,
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those who mourn
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the passing of loved ones
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even in this week
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and the last few weeks,
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Lord,
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as there has been grief and loss
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in the midst of our people here.
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We thank you, Lord,
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that you are a God of comfort.
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And when things come upon us,
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when our lives are changed so quickly
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in the midst of these things,
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we thank you that we are known to you,
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that you are a good shepherd
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who cares for his sheep.
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You are the one
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who so often will come
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and carry us and uphold us
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in our times of great need.
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And so we pray, Lord,
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for your comfort and your blessing
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to those who are heavy in heart today,
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for those who mourn and grieve,
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for those who are anxious
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over loved ones,
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for those who are anxious
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of themselves.
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Lord, we pray that you will
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draw near to them.
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We give you thanks too, Lord,
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that you are a God
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of great blessings as well,
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that you are the giver of life.
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We thank you for a new life
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in our midst as a people as well.
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And we pray and thank you, Lord,
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for the good news
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of a new birth in our midst.
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We pray your blessing
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over families,
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upon children born into this world
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and born to families
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who will love them
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and care for them.
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Lord, we pray
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for all our young ones,
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that you will look after them,
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that you will bless them,
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that you will keep them.
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We see the great challenges
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around them in these days.
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And we thank you, Lord,
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for your word
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and how it instructs a people
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from a very young age
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into old age.
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We hear your word
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and your truth speaking to us.
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And so we pray, Lord,
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for our children,
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that they will grow up
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in this world,
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knowing your great love
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and compassion,
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knowing your great concern
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for them.
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And we pray for those
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who seek to instruct them
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and guide them in day school
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and also in Sunday school
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and also the clubs
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and events that go on
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through the week as well.
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We thank you for the resumption
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of the Explorers group
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in this past week.
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Thank you for all
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who came to that
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and pray you continue
26:24
to bless and to watch
26:26
over them there.
26:27
We thank you for the toddler group
26:29
that meets on a Monday
26:29
and for all parents
26:31
and children who attend there.
26:33
We pray your blessing
26:34
over them as well.
26:35
So we thank you
26:36
for the conference
26:38
over this weekend,
26:39
for young people
26:39
and for the big YF
26:41
this evening.
26:42
We pray that it will be
26:43
a blessed time
26:44
of guidance and instruction
26:45
for young but also old alike.
26:49
That we would learn
26:50
from the challenges
26:50
that we face in these days.
26:52
Learn how to approach them
26:54
in a godly manner
26:55
and seeking your wisdom
26:57
and your guidance in them.
26:59
Remember our land as well, Lord,
27:01
and the nation of the world
27:03
as we hear of the tragedy
27:04
in South Korea yesterday, Lord.
27:08
So many lives lost,
27:09
so many young lives lost there.
27:11
We do pray for comfort,
27:14
for mercy upon all
27:15
who need you at this time there.
27:18
You know, too,
27:18
the many difficulties
27:19
throughout our world.
27:21
Wars and conflicts going on,
27:23
famine and natural disasters
27:25
all around us.
27:27
We see it so often.
27:28
We hear it in the Philippines.
27:30
We've seen it in America.
27:31
We see it on every continent, Lord,
27:34
how there is disaster
27:36
after disaster.
27:38
And we just pray, Lord,
27:39
have mercy upon us.
27:40
Come with your healing power.
27:42
Come with the power
27:43
of your Holy Spirit.
27:45
Come and draw near to us
27:47
as a people
27:47
and help us in all things.
27:50
We ask your blessing on us now
27:52
as we continue in our worship,
27:54
as we turn to your word
27:56
and we continue to sing your praise.
27:58
May we sing from our hearts,
27:59
rejoicing in the hope of the gospel,
28:03
thankful for the redemption
28:04
that is ours through Jesus Christ,
28:06
the one who has paid
28:08
the ultimate price.
28:10
We thank you that in all things
28:11
we can look to him,
28:13
that we can trust him
28:14
and that we have hope in him
28:16
through faith.
28:18
And so we pray, Lord,
28:19
that you will give us that faith
28:20
and dependence upon him.
28:23
So hear our prayers
28:24
and go before us.
28:26
We ask all things
28:27
for the forgiveness of our sins
28:28
and for your glory alone.
28:30
We ask in Jesus' name.
28:32
Amen.
28:36
We're going to sing
28:37
to God's praise
28:38
before we turn back
28:39
to that first letter of Peter,
28:41
singing in Psalm 49,
28:44
page 64 of the psalm books.
28:49
Psalm 49,
28:50
singing from verse 1 to verse 10.
28:53
Listen to me,
28:56
all you peoples,
28:57
all who in the whole world dwell,
28:59
low and high,
29:00
both rich and needy,
29:02
hear the message
29:03
I will tell.
29:04
Then at verse 8,
29:05
it says,
29:06
to redeem,
29:08
a life is costly,
29:09
none sufficient,
29:10
price can pay,
29:12
so that one should live
29:13
immortal,
29:14
free forever
29:15
from decay.
29:16
But it's a reminder to us
29:18
that there is forgiveness
29:19
and redemption
29:20
in Jesus Christ.
29:21
Let's sing from Psalm 49,
29:24
verse 1 to 10
29:25
to God's praise.
29:26
Psalm 49,
29:32
verses 1 to 10
29:37
And this is part of it
29:37
to Jesus Christ.
29:40
And this is part of it
29:41
of the psalm commemorative
29:42
and Michael's chosen
29:43
against Jesus.
29:43
This is part of it
29:44
and this is part of it
29:47
avoir ads klass cheyed
29:53
I will speak with understanding, wisdom from the heart I'll preach.
30:08
I will listen to a proverb, speak as with the harp I'll teach.
30:21
What should I fear, days of evil, when the wicked end be in?
30:35
Those who boast of their possessions, by their trust and wealth they save.
30:48
There is no one who is able to redeem a soul from death.
31:02
Man can pay to God their ransom to prolong another's bread.
31:15
To redeem a life this costly, none sufficient price can pay.
31:29
So that one should live the mortal free forever from decay.
31:41
For we all can see life ending, wise and foolish all will die.
31:55
They must leave their wealth to others.
32:03
God, God is demand defied.
32:10
Can we turn back to 1 Peter chapter 1?
32:21
We can read again at verse 14.
32:24
Let's continue our study in this letter.
32:26
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.
32:32
But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.
32:38
Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.
32:45
As we pick up our study in this letter once again,
32:48
we've seen in the introduction to it in these opening verses,
32:52
from verse 1 to 12, where Peter is writing to a people,
32:57
God's people who are in a situation where they've been scattered far and wide,
33:02
a people who are suffering and struggling and with many different things.
33:07
And at the same time, a people who are being reminded that they are precious to God.
33:13
That's Paul's.
33:14
Peter's reason for writing to them is to remind them of whose people they are
33:18
and the great hope that is theirs through Jesus Christ.
33:24
To that end, he's reminding of the many different precious truths that they have.
33:29
That there is this eternal hope.
33:32
That there is an inheritance for his people.
33:35
An inheritance that will never fade or perish.
33:38
A reminder that a day is coming when Christ will return.
33:42
And a day that they are to be prepared and ready for.
33:46
And that through faith in Jesus Christ,
33:50
they have that outcome of their faith,
33:53
the salvation of their souls, as it says in verse 9.
33:58
So there's many great promises and many great truths
34:01
that they are to hold on to in the midst of all the challenges that they are facing.
34:08
But as we've been going through in this introduction,
34:10
the question that they might have as we move into the body of the letter,
34:14
the thought that might be theirs is,
34:16
how is all of this going to help me now, here in my need?
34:22
The people may have been thinking that in Peter's day in the same way
34:26
that many of us may be thinking that today as well.
34:29
How is all of these truths,
34:31
how are they going to help me on a day-to-day basis?
34:35
What difference do they make to my life in the here and now?
34:39
How does or how can it make a difference to my life just now?
34:46
Well, from verse 13 and through the rest of the letter,
34:50
he is going to show the difference that this makes.
34:53
He's going to show us just how, in a practical way,
34:57
the outworking of all of these truths affect our lives on a day-to-day basis.
35:03
And the great difference that they make to us,
35:07
not just how we are to live in this world,
35:12
as our people who are very individualistic,
35:15
or how we are to live in this world just for ourselves,
35:19
but more how we are to live for one another.
35:22
And above all, how we are to live for God.
35:26
Knowing that even in the midst of everything that we go through,
35:30
and as the people here in Peter's day,
35:32
we're going through all these different trials,
35:34
and perhaps feeling, you know,
35:36
where is God in the midst of all this?
35:38
Has he left us?
35:39
Has he abandoned us?
35:41
That God is not far away.
35:45
And we are to remember that for ourselves too.
35:48
God is with us.
35:50
God is near and near to help.
35:53
Remember, he's writing here,
35:55
not just to help them to survive in this world,
35:58
and to get by in this world.
36:00
He's writing to help them to thrive in this world.
36:05
And that's what we want for ourselves too,
36:07
isn't it not?
36:08
That we will be a people who thrive for God
36:12
and for his kingdom in this world
36:14
through knowing him.
36:17
And what is at the heart of this life
36:20
that they are to live,
36:21
and the way that they are to live,
36:23
is really these verses that I've just read to you.
36:26
That we are to be a people
36:28
who are called and who live a holy life.
36:33
It revolves, it hinges on these verses.
36:36
Verse 15 and 16,
36:38
as he who called you is holy,
36:41
you also be holy in all your conduct.
36:44
Since it is written,
36:45
you shall be holy,
36:47
for I am holy.
36:50
This is not something new to the people.
36:53
It's not a new command to the people.
36:56
It's a command founded in the Old Testament
36:59
in the book of Leviticus,
37:01
where this is quoted from.
37:03
As it says there,
37:05
since it is written,
37:06
you shall be holy,
37:08
for I am holy.
37:09
He's quoting there in Leviticus chapter 11,
37:12
verse 44,
37:14
a command that God gave to the children of Israel
37:17
as they were coming out
37:18
from being under the bondage of Egypt.
37:21
He told them,
37:23
you be a people who are holy,
37:26
for I am holy.
37:29
But what does it mean to be holy?
37:32
That's perhaps the key question here.
37:35
Maybe you think of holiness
37:37
as something for others,
37:40
something for the elite of God's people,
37:43
something I could never achieve,
37:45
something that is a standard
37:47
that is too high for me to attain.
37:51
Well, the word holy at its root
37:54
has the idea of a people
37:56
or a being set apart.
38:00
And in particular,
38:01
being set apart for God.
38:05
A people who love him
38:07
and live for him.
38:11
That's what he is calling us to be
38:13
as a people.
38:14
A people set apart for him.
38:17
Living for him.
38:19
And that's what we see
38:20
in this section
38:22
is about being obedient to God.
38:25
Not being pulled back
38:27
into our former ways
38:28
or the past ways of our life.
38:32
Losing hope of faith in God.
38:35
Thinking that he's left us
38:37
but instead striving
38:38
more and more
38:40
for this holiness,
38:41
this living for him.
38:44
It's what Peter called
38:46
the people to then.
38:47
It's what he's calling us
38:48
to now as well.
38:51
It is something
38:52
that we are to strive for.
38:55
Something that every one of us
38:57
should pursue
38:58
with all our heart,
39:00
with all our being.
39:02
To be a holy people.
39:04
A people set apart
39:05
and living for God.
39:08
But in all honesty,
39:10
who of us feel holy today?
39:13
There's so much
39:14
that goes on around us
39:15
in that our holiness
39:16
seems that's something
39:17
that cannot be attained.
39:21
There's a book
39:22
written by Kevin DeYoung.
39:24
It's called
39:25
The Hole in Our Holiness.
39:28
And in the first chapter,
39:29
he says
39:30
that the hole in our holiness
39:32
is that we don't care
39:33
much about it
39:35
and seldom pursue
39:37
after it.
39:40
He says
39:41
the sadness is
39:42
that we can focus
39:43
on what Christ
39:44
has saved us from,
39:46
which is great,
39:48
but we have lost sight
39:50
of what Christ
39:51
has saved us to.
39:54
A pursuit
39:55
of a holy life.
39:58
And that's what we're called to.
40:00
Not just to recognize
40:02
the wonder
40:03
of what Christ
40:04
has saved us from,
40:06
but more so
40:07
as we go on,
40:09
what he has saved us to
40:11
in our way
40:13
that we live.
40:13
And you see here
40:14
how holiness
40:15
is linked
40:16
to our conduct
40:18
in verse 15.
40:19
He has called you
40:20
to holiness.
40:22
He who called you
40:23
is holy.
40:24
You also be holy
40:25
in all your conduct,
40:27
in everything
40:29
that you do.
40:32
This impacts
40:33
everything
40:34
in your life.
40:37
And so,
40:37
from verse 13
40:39
through really
40:40
the rest
40:41
of the letter,
40:42
he gives us
40:43
practical ways
40:44
to live
40:45
this holy life.
40:48
Set apart
40:48
for God
40:49
and living
40:50
for Him.
40:52
And there's three things
40:53
that we're going
40:54
to think about
40:54
as we start
40:55
this next section
40:57
today.
40:58
One is
40:59
being ready.
41:00
What we are to be.
41:01
The first thing,
41:02
being ready.
41:03
The second thing
41:04
is being responsive.
41:06
And the third thing
41:07
is remember
41:08
we are being redeemed.
41:11
We are being redeemed
41:12
at a great price.
41:13
And it's
41:14
grounded
41:15
in what is said
41:16
in the opening
41:17
of this letter
41:18
up to verse 12.
41:20
Because you notice
41:21
in verse 13
41:22
the first word
41:23
there is
41:23
therefore.
41:25
So in other words,
41:26
in light of everything
41:28
that we'd said
41:28
up to this point,
41:30
therefore,
41:32
this is how
41:32
you are to live.
41:33
Therefore,
41:34
this is what
41:35
you are to do.
41:37
So he's reminded
41:38
of them
41:38
of the hope.
41:40
He's reminded them
41:40
of the inheritance.
41:42
He reminded them
41:42
of all these
41:43
wonderful promises,
41:44
the outcome
41:45
of their faith,
41:46
the salvation
41:46
of their souls.
41:48
He's saying
41:49
these are not
41:49
just things
41:50
that are
41:50
at a distance
41:51
from you.
41:53
These are things
41:54
that you take
41:55
with you
41:56
every day
41:57
of your life
41:58
and everywhere
41:59
that you go.
42:02
Therefore,
42:02
he says,
42:04
hold on
42:04
to these truths
42:05
and take them
42:06
into every aspect
42:08
of your conduct
42:09
in this world
42:11
because they affect
42:12
everything
42:13
about you.
42:16
And the first thing
42:17
he says here
42:18
is,
42:18
therefore,
42:20
be ready.
42:22
Be ready.
42:26
A preacher
42:27
once told
42:28
his congregation
42:29
a story.
42:31
He said to them,
42:32
I'm not a connoisseur
42:34
of great art,
42:35
but from time
42:36
to time,
42:37
he said,
42:37
I like to go in
42:38
and see
42:39
in museums
42:40
and different places,
42:41
galleries,
42:42
paintings
42:43
and paintings
42:45
that give
42:46
a clear picture
42:47
of something
42:48
that really
42:49
speak
42:49
a powerful,
42:51
a strong message
42:52
to me.
42:53
And he said,
42:54
some time ago
42:55
I saw a picture
42:56
and it was a picture
42:57
of an old
42:58
burnt out
42:58
mountain shack.
43:01
A place
43:02
that was
43:02
a people's home.
43:05
But all that remained
43:06
of it
43:06
was the chimney
43:07
and there was
43:08
charred,
43:09
burnt out debris
43:10
all around.
43:12
But in the picture
43:13
there were
43:14
two people.
43:15
one was
43:17
a man
43:18
who looked
43:18
quite old,
43:20
dressed just
43:21
in very little
43:22
clothes,
43:22
dirty clothes,
43:24
worn out clothes.
43:26
And beside him
43:27
was a little boy
43:27
clutching
43:28
what looked like
43:29
a patched up
43:30
pair of overalls.
43:33
And the child
43:34
was crying.
43:37
And beneath
43:37
the picture
43:38
there was
43:38
the words
43:39
which the artist
43:40
felt
43:40
spoke of what
43:42
this picture
43:43
illustrated.
43:44
Simple words
43:45
the preacher said
43:46
that presented
43:47
profound theology
43:49
and philosophy
43:49
for life.
43:51
And the words
43:52
were this
43:53
hush
43:54
child
43:55
God's
43:57
not
43:57
dead.
43:59
And the preacher
44:00
took it in this way
44:01
as a reminder
44:02
that so much
44:03
in life
44:04
just seems
44:05
like a burnt
44:06
out ruin.
44:07
A picture
44:08
of despair
44:10
and of hopelessness.
44:13
And yet
44:14
there is still
44:15
that great truth.
44:17
God's
44:18
not
44:19
dead.
44:21
And as
44:21
Peter is writing
44:23
to his people
44:24
here
44:24
and as he writes
44:25
to ourselves
44:26
today
44:26
our impression
44:28
in this world
44:29
can be one
44:29
that's full of
44:30
chaos.
44:32
But we need
44:33
to be reminded
44:34
too
44:34
God's
44:36
not
44:36
dead.
44:38
In fact
44:39
God is
44:40
reigning.
44:41
He is
44:42
alive
44:42
and he is
44:44
in control
44:45
of this
44:46
world.
44:48
And as we
44:49
think of
44:49
the challenges
44:50
that people
44:51
faced in
44:52
Peter's day
44:53
and the
44:54
many challenges
44:55
that we face
44:56
ourselves
44:57
you could look
44:57
at Peter's day
44:58
and say
44:58
it would be
44:59
easy for them
45:00
to give up
45:01
and to say
45:02
what's the
45:03
point
45:03
to throw
45:05
in the towel
45:06
and say
45:06
yes I have
45:07
my faith
45:08
but I may
45:10
as well
45:10
just hide
45:11
away
45:12
and avoid
45:13
all the
45:13
hassle
45:14
of this
45:14
world
45:15
if all
45:15
that my
45:16
faith
45:16
brings
45:17
to me
45:17
is
45:17
persecution
45:18
and
45:18
suffering.
45:20
I can
45:21
do my
45:22
duty
45:22
and that's
45:24
it.
45:26
And it
45:26
may be
45:26
the kind
45:27
of impression
45:27
that we
45:28
have in
45:29
this world
45:29
that we
45:30
live in
45:30
today.
45:31
What's
45:31
the point?
45:34
Even if
45:34
I have
45:35
faith
45:35
what difference
45:36
does it
45:37
make?
45:37
What impact
45:38
can it
45:39
make
45:39
in this
45:40
world?
45:42
Well Peter
45:42
is writing
45:43
to remind
45:43
them and
45:44
us of
45:45
the great
45:46
difference
45:46
that it
45:46
makes to
45:47
be a
45:47
people who
45:48
are holy.
45:49
A people
45:50
who are set
45:50
apart for
45:51
God.
45:52
Who can be
45:52
used by
45:54
God.
45:55
And so the
45:56
first thing
45:56
he says is
45:57
be ready.
45:58
In verse
45:58
13,
45:59
preparing your
46:00
minds for
46:01
action and
46:02
being sober
46:03
minded,
46:03
set your
46:04
hope fully
46:05
on the
46:06
grace that
46:06
will be
46:07
brought to
46:08
you at
46:09
the
46:09
revelation
46:09
of Jesus
46:10
Christ.
46:12
So one of
46:12
the truths
46:13
that he's
46:13
already told
46:14
them of in
46:14
the introduction,
46:16
the revelation
46:16
of Jesus
46:18
Christ,
46:19
that speaks
46:20
of in
46:20
verse 5,
46:22
you who by
46:22
God's power
46:23
are being
46:23
guarded through
46:24
faith for
46:25
our salvation,
46:26
ready to be
46:27
revealed in
46:28
the last
46:28
time.
46:30
And he
46:30
speaks about
46:31
it there
46:31
again in
46:31
verse 7,
46:32
the glory
46:34
and honour
46:35
at the
46:35
revelation
46:36
of Jesus
46:37
Christ.
46:38
So now he's
46:39
saying you
46:40
take this
46:41
into your
46:41
life on a
46:43
day to day
46:43
basis,
46:44
preparing your
46:46
minds,
46:48
girding up the
46:48
loins of
46:50
your mind,
46:50
it says in
46:51
the AV,
46:52
and in the
46:52
footnote at
46:53
the bottom
46:53
of the ESV.
46:55
And the
46:55
people in
46:56
that day
46:56
would have
46:56
been familiar
46:57
with this
46:58
phrase,
47:00
gird up the
47:00
loins of
47:02
your mind.
47:04
The kind
47:04
of clothes
47:05
that they
47:06
wore in
47:07
those days
47:07
were long
47:08
tunics and
47:09
gowns that
47:10
went right
47:10
down to
47:11
their feet.
47:12
And if
47:13
they were
47:13
called to
47:14
action,
47:14
if they were
47:15
called to
47:15
work or
47:16
to war or
47:16
to battle,
47:17
any of
47:18
these things,
47:18
they had to
47:19
prepare.
47:20
And they
47:21
prepared by
47:22
rolling up
47:23
their gowns,
47:24
their tunics,
47:24
and tucking
47:25
them into
47:25
their belt.
47:27
That is what
47:27
is meant by
47:28
gird up your
47:30
loins for
47:31
action.
47:33
So here
47:33
he is saying
47:34
prepare your
47:34
minds,
47:35
gird up the
47:35
loins of
47:36
your minds
47:37
for action.
47:39
He's saying
47:39
be ready
47:40
for action.
47:42
This is how
47:43
you are to
47:44
live,
47:45
prepared and
47:46
ready for
47:47
anything that's
47:47
going to come
47:48
your way.
47:50
Be ready.
47:52
He is saying
47:52
that there
47:53
will be and
47:53
there have
47:54
been challenges
47:55
in your
47:56
life,
47:57
but prepare
47:58
yourselves.
47:59
when we
48:01
ask ourselves
48:02
is that
48:03
how we
48:04
live?
48:05
Is that
48:06
how you
48:06
live today?
48:07
Do you
48:07
prepare for
48:08
the battles
48:09
of this
48:09
world on
48:10
a daily
48:10
basis?
48:11
Did you
48:12
prepare yourself
48:14
for coming to
48:14
church today?
48:16
Or did you
48:16
just rush into
48:17
the day?
48:18
We're all
48:19
guilty of it,
48:20
aren't we?
48:21
Just rushing
48:22
on with the
48:22
day where we
48:23
don't prepare
48:23
ourselves by
48:25
coming to
48:25
God,
48:26
preparing our
48:27
minds for
48:28
action by
48:28
being sober
48:29
minded,
48:30
setting our
48:31
hope fully
48:32
on the
48:32
grace that
48:33
will be
48:33
brought to
48:34
us at the
48:34
revelation of
48:35
Jesus Christ.
48:37
What a
48:37
difference it
48:38
would make
48:39
if that's
48:39
how we
48:39
started our
48:40
day.
48:41
Yes,
48:42
we're going
48:42
to go into
48:42
the challenges
48:43
of this
48:44
world.
48:45
We're going
48:45
to go into
48:45
worship and
48:47
fellowship with
48:47
God's people,
48:48
which is
48:48
wonderful,
48:49
but then on
48:49
the Monday
48:50
and the
48:50
Tuesday and
48:51
the Wednesday
48:51
we go into
48:52
each day with
48:53
the challenges
48:54
that it brings,
48:54
but do we
48:55
go into
48:55
it prepared,
48:59
setting our
48:59
hope fully on
49:01
the revelation
49:02
of Jesus
49:03
Christ, that
49:05
great hope
49:06
that we have.
49:09
Don't live in
49:10
your former
49:11
ways, don't
49:12
slip back into
49:13
them, put
49:14
them away
49:14
and instead
49:17
prepare yourselves
49:19
with the
49:20
holiness of
49:21
God.
49:23
Like Paul
49:23
says in
49:24
Ephesians
49:25
6, we
49:26
prepare by
49:27
putting on
49:27
the whole
49:28
armor of
49:30
God.
49:32
So are
49:33
we ready?
49:35
The danger
49:35
for the
49:36
people then
49:36
was they
49:37
just sat
49:38
back idly.
49:40
What's the
49:40
point?
49:42
The danger
49:43
for ourselves
49:43
today is to
49:44
have that
49:45
same kind
49:46
of attitude.
49:47
What's the
49:48
point?
49:49
Well, hope
49:50
in Jesus
49:51
Christ gives
49:52
us that
49:53
point.
49:54
Martin
49:55
Luther once
49:55
said that
49:56
through living
49:57
faith which
49:58
the Holy
49:58
Spirit instills
49:59
into the
50:00
heart simply
50:01
cannot be
50:03
idle.
50:05
It's a
50:05
living, it's
50:06
an active
50:07
faith and
50:09
that's the
50:09
way that we
50:10
are to live.
50:12
Kevin de
50:13
Young in his
50:13
book says
50:14
the best
50:14
looking Christian
50:15
is the one
50:16
growing by the
50:17
Spirit into
50:18
the likeness of
50:19
Christ.
50:21
That is what
50:22
we are to
50:22
strive for
50:23
by being
50:23
ready, by
50:24
preparing our
50:25
minds for
50:26
action, to
50:28
strive after
50:29
holiness.
50:32
The second
50:33
thing we see
50:33
here is that
50:34
we are to be
50:34
a people who
50:35
are responsive.
50:37
In verse 14
50:38
it says,
50:39
as obedient
50:40
children do
50:42
not be
50:42
conformed to
50:43
the passions
50:43
of your
50:44
former
50:45
ignorance but
50:45
as he who
50:47
called you
50:47
is holy,
50:48
you also
50:49
be holy
50:50
in all
50:52
your conduct.
50:54
We are to
50:55
be a people
50:55
who are
50:56
obedient,
50:58
who are
50:58
responsive.
51:00
How are you
51:01
when it comes
51:01
to being
51:02
told what
51:03
to do?
51:05
What's your
51:06
response like
51:07
when it
51:07
happens?
51:10
Just like we
51:10
were thinking
51:11
with the
51:11
children, if
51:12
someone tells
51:12
you to do
51:13
something, do
51:14
you go and
51:14
do it
51:15
immediately or
51:15
does it
51:16
depend on
51:17
who says
51:18
it to
51:18
you?
51:20
It
51:20
sometimes
51:20
does depend
51:22
on who
51:22
tells us.
51:24
If we
51:24
know that
51:25
person, if
51:26
we love
51:26
that person,
51:27
want to do
51:28
good for
51:28
that person,
51:29
we respond
51:29
immediately
51:30
perhaps.
51:32
But if
51:32
that person
51:33
hasn't been
51:34
good to
51:34
us, if
51:34
that person
51:35
has mistreated
51:36
us, do
51:37
we respond
51:38
in the same
51:38
way?
51:40
Are we
51:41
obedient to
51:42
God?
51:44
If we
51:45
say, well
51:45
God hasn't
51:46
remembered me,
51:46
God hasn't
51:47
loved me,
51:48
why should
51:48
I respond
51:49
to him?
51:52
Because of
51:53
all that he
51:53
has done
51:54
for us,
51:56
which we'll
51:56
see in a
51:57
moment.
51:59
But we
51:59
are to be a
52:00
people who
52:00
are obedient
52:01
to God.
52:03
God gives
52:04
us a call
52:05
here to
52:06
holiness,
52:07
and it's a
52:08
call that
52:08
demands an
52:09
instant response.
52:12
In all our
52:12
conduct, this
52:13
is how we
52:14
are to live.
52:15
Thomas
52:17
Kempis
52:18
once said,
52:20
instant
52:20
obedience
52:21
is the
52:22
only kind
52:23
of obedience
52:24
that is.
52:26
Delayed
52:26
obedience
52:27
is
52:28
disobedience.
52:30
Whoever
52:30
strives to
52:31
withdraw from
52:32
obedience
52:33
withdraws
52:34
from grace.
52:36
Again, we
52:37
think of the
52:37
command and
52:39
the situation
52:39
of the
52:40
people here.
52:41
They were
52:41
experiencing
52:42
hard times,
52:43
perhaps even
52:43
questioning what
52:45
God was
52:45
doing for
52:46
them and
52:46
where he
52:47
was.
52:49
Why should
52:50
I do
52:50
something for
52:51
him?
52:52
Their focus
52:53
was gone.
52:54
It seemed
52:54
their hope
52:55
was gone.
52:58
But yet
52:58
God calls
52:59
them to
53:00
holiness.
53:01
Be holy
53:02
because I
53:03
am holy.
53:06
Is that the
53:07
case for you
53:08
today?
53:08
Are you
53:08
saying,
53:09
how dare
53:10
God make
53:11
demands of
53:12
me?
53:14
The devil
53:15
will put
53:15
into your
53:15
head the
53:16
same doubts
53:17
and fears
53:18
and concerns
53:18
that the
53:19
people had
53:19
in Peter's
53:20
day.
53:21
Where is
53:22
God?
53:24
You can
53:24
become blind
53:25
to the
53:25
fact that
53:26
he is
53:27
there.
53:28
What's
53:28
happened?
53:30
Paul,
53:31
writing to
53:31
the church
53:32
in Corinth,
53:32
he tells
53:33
us what's
53:33
happened.
53:35
He says
53:35
that in
53:35
their case,
53:36
the God
53:37
of this
53:37
world has
53:38
blinded the
53:38
minds of
53:40
unbelievers
53:40
to keep
53:42
them from
53:42
seeing the
53:43
light of
53:43
the gospel
53:44
in the
53:44
glory of
53:45
Christ,
53:46
who is
53:46
the image
53:47
of God.
53:49
There is
53:50
another one
53:51
at work
53:51
who blinds
53:52
us to
53:52
seeing this.
53:55
And in
53:55
our blindness
53:56
we lose
53:56
hope.
53:58
But as we
53:58
looked at
53:59
last time,
53:59
we are to
54:00
have eyes
54:00
of faith.
54:03
We are to
54:03
fix our
54:04
eyes on
54:05
God.
54:06
And in
54:06
the previous
54:06
chapter in
54:07
2 Corinthians,
54:08
in chapter
54:09
3,
54:10
Paul speaks
54:11
to them
54:11
there of
54:12
the one
54:12
who opens
54:13
their eyes.
54:15
He says
54:15
in chapter
54:16
3,
54:16
verse 16,
54:18
but when
54:18
one turns
54:19
to the
54:20
Lord,
54:20
the veil
54:21
is removed.
54:23
He was
54:23
talking about
54:24
Moses and
54:25
the veiled
54:25
glory of
54:26
God.
54:27
But when
54:27
we turn
54:28
to God
54:28
in faith,
54:29
this veil
54:29
is removed
54:30
and we
54:30
all with
54:31
unveiled
54:32
face behold
54:33
the glory
54:34
of the
54:34
Lord as
54:36
being
54:36
transformed
54:36
into the
54:37
same image
54:38
from one
54:38
degree of
54:39
glory.
54:40
to
54:40
another.
54:42
So the
54:42
more we
54:43
fix our
54:44
eyes on
54:45
the Lord,
54:46
the more
54:47
we are
54:47
transformed
54:48
by Him.
54:50
We are
54:51
transformed
54:52
into the
54:53
same image,
54:54
one degree
54:55
of glory
54:56
to another,
54:57
bit by
54:58
bit.
55:00
And that
55:00
is the way
55:01
our holiness
55:02
develops.
55:04
Seeing God,
55:06
seeing Jesus.
55:07
Kevin
55:07
again in
55:08
his book,
55:09
he says,
55:09
it may
55:10
sound boring
55:11
and out
55:11
of date,
55:13
but it
55:14
just happens
55:15
to be
55:15
true.
55:15
The way
55:16
to grow
55:16
in your
55:17
relationship
55:17
with Jesus
55:19
is to
55:20
pray,
55:22
read your
55:22
Bible,
55:23
go to
55:24
church,
55:25
all of
55:27
these things,
55:28
things that
55:29
people will
55:29
say we do
55:30
not need,
55:31
we do,
55:32
to see
55:34
the glory
55:34
of God
55:35
and to
55:36
fix our
55:37
eyes on
55:37
Him.
55:38
So are
55:39
we fixing
55:39
our eyes
55:41
on Jesus?
55:42
Is our
55:43
hope of
55:44
salvation
55:45
in Him,
55:47
are we
55:47
coming to
55:48
the foot
55:49
of the
55:49
cross?
55:51
Because when
55:52
we do,
55:53
we behold
55:54
His glory
55:55
more and
55:57
more.
55:57
And that's
55:57
what Peter
55:58
thoroughly
55:59
goes on to
56:00
show us
56:00
here.
56:00
the wonder
56:02
of our
56:02
salvation
56:03
and the
56:03
way that
56:04
we have
56:04
been
56:04
purchased.
56:06
In
56:06
verse 18,
56:07
knowing that
56:07
you were
56:08
ransomed
56:08
from the
56:09
futile ways
56:10
inherited
56:11
from your
56:12
forefathers,
56:13
not with
56:14
perishable
56:14
things such
56:15
as silver
56:16
and gold,
56:17
but with
56:17
the precious
56:18
blood of
56:19
Christ.
56:21
We are
56:22
being ransomed.
56:25
What are
56:26
we looking
56:26
to?
56:26
Are we
56:27
looking to
56:27
the cross?
56:29
That hymn
56:30
that when
56:30
I survey
56:31
the wondrous
56:32
cross on
56:32
which the
56:33
prince of
56:34
glory died,
56:35
my riches
56:36
gain I
56:36
count but
56:37
loss and
56:38
poor contempt
56:39
on all
56:40
my pride.
56:42
Closing
56:43
words of
56:44
that hymn
56:44
are,
56:45
love so
56:45
amazing,
56:46
so divine,
56:48
demands my
56:49
soul,
56:50
my life,
56:51
my all.
56:53
What does
56:54
it mean
56:54
today for
56:55
you to
56:56
be ransomed?
56:56
are you
56:58
redeemed?
57:00
Perhaps you
57:01
say,
57:01
well what
57:02
need do
57:03
I have
57:03
of being
57:04
ransomed?
57:06
A ransom
57:06
is something
57:07
that happens
57:08
to people
57:08
who are
57:09
taken hostage
57:10
or kidnapped,
57:11
but you
57:12
say,
57:12
I am
57:12
free.
57:14
But are
57:15
you?
57:17
That is a
57:17
big question
57:18
for our
57:19
world today.
57:20
Are we
57:20
free?
57:22
Are we
57:23
free from
57:24
every law
57:24
and demand
57:25
of this
57:26
world to
57:26
just do
57:26
as we
57:27
please?
57:29
Well the
57:29
Bible speaks
57:30
to us about
57:31
being slaves,
57:33
enslaved to
57:35
sin,
57:36
held hostage
57:37
by it,
57:39
but it also
57:40
speaks at the
57:41
same time
57:41
about the
57:42
cost of
57:43
being set
57:44
free.
57:46
Romans 6
57:47
is a
57:47
wonderful
57:47
passage on
57:48
this.
57:48
I am
57:49
just going
57:49
to read
57:49
a few
57:50
verses from
57:51
it.
57:51
When you
57:52
were slaves
57:52
of sin,
57:53
you were
57:53
free in
57:54
regard to
57:55
righteousness.
57:55
In other
57:56
words,
57:56
it meant
57:57
nothing to
57:57
you.
57:58
But what
57:59
fruit were
57:59
you getting
58:00
at that
58:00
time from
58:01
the things
58:01
of which
58:02
you are
58:02
now ashamed?
58:04
For the
58:04
end of
58:04
those things
58:05
is death.
58:07
But now
58:08
that you
58:08
have been
58:08
set free
58:09
from sin
58:10
and have
58:10
become
58:11
slaves of
58:11
God,
58:12
the fruit
58:13
you get
58:14
leads to
58:14
sanctification
58:15
and its
58:17
end,
58:17
eternal
58:18
life.
58:20
For the
58:20
wages of
58:21
sin is
58:21
death,
58:22
but the
58:23
free gift
58:23
of God
58:24
is eternal
58:25
life in
58:25
Christ
58:26
Jesus,
58:27
our Lord.
58:29
So do
58:30
you know
58:30
this
58:31
freedom?
58:33
That is
58:33
what Peter
58:34
is pointing
58:34
us to
58:35
here,
58:36
knowing that
58:36
you were
58:37
ransomed
58:37
from the
58:37
futile
58:38
wastes,
58:39
not with
58:40
perishable
58:41
things such
58:41
as silver
58:42
or gold.
58:43
Just like
58:43
that psalm
58:44
we sang,
58:45
Psalm 49,
58:46
to redeem
58:47
my life
58:47
is costly,
58:48
none
58:49
sufficient
58:50
price can
58:51
pay.
58:51
none
58:53
of us
58:53
can
58:53
pay
58:53
for our
58:54
salvation,
58:56
and we
58:56
are slaves
58:57
to sin,
58:58
we are
58:58
held ransom
58:59
and hostage
59:00
by sin.
59:01
How can
59:01
we possibly
59:02
be free?
59:04
Because we
59:05
are ransomed,
59:06
not by silver
59:07
or gold,
59:08
but with the
59:08
precious blood
59:09
of Christ.
59:13
And that
59:13
is what we
59:14
are to hold
59:15
on to,
59:16
what a price
59:17
has been
59:17
paid for
59:18
our freedom.
59:19
as we
59:21
approach
59:21
the time
59:22
of year
59:22
when we
59:23
remember
59:23
the many
59:24
who gave
59:24
their lives
59:25
in conflict,
59:27
when we
59:27
think of
59:28
the great
59:28
cost of
59:29
our freedom
59:30
through war
59:31
and the
59:31
shedding of
59:32
blood of
59:32
many,
59:34
here we
59:34
are reminded
59:35
of the
59:36
cost of
59:37
our freedom
59:37
from sin,
59:39
a price
59:40
none of
59:41
us could
59:42
pay,
59:43
but a
59:43
price that
59:44
has been
59:45
paid for
59:46
us.
59:47
And this
59:49
is how
59:49
we are
59:49
to live.
59:52
As verse
59:52
21 says,
59:53
who through
59:54
him are
59:55
believers in
59:55
God who
59:56
raised him
59:56
from the
59:57
dead and
59:57
gave him
59:58
glory so
59:59
that your
59:59
faith and
1:00:00
hope are
1:00:02
in God.
1:00:03
Is that
1:00:04
true for
1:00:05
you today?
1:00:07
He says
1:00:09
to be
1:00:10
holy.
1:00:11
He goes
1:00:12
on, as
1:00:12
we'll see,
1:00:14
to outwork
1:00:15
this in
1:00:15
every aspect
1:00:16
of our
1:00:17
life and
1:00:17
our conduct,
1:00:19
but it
1:00:19
begins with
1:00:20
this hope
1:00:21
that is
1:00:22
found in
1:00:23
Christ.
1:00:25
It is not
1:00:25
something that
1:00:27
is just a
1:00:27
theology that
1:00:28
is taught,
1:00:29
something that
1:00:29
we can read
1:00:30
in a book.
1:00:32
It's something
1:00:32
that is in
1:00:33
our heart
1:00:34
and goes
1:00:35
with us
1:00:35
every day
1:00:36
of our
1:00:36
life.
1:00:38
We are to
1:00:38
take it
1:00:39
with us
1:00:39
from here
1:00:40
today,
1:00:41
to tomorrow,
1:00:42
into every
1:00:42
day that
1:00:43
lies ahead
1:00:44
as a
1:00:44
command.
1:00:46
Be holy,
1:00:47
for I am
1:00:48
holy.
1:00:49
Be set
1:00:50
apart.
1:00:52
It's not
1:00:52
something we
1:00:53
cannot be.
1:00:55
It is
1:00:55
something we
1:00:56
are to
1:00:57
strive for.
1:00:59
So may
1:00:59
God enable
1:01:00
us and
1:01:01
help us to
1:01:02
see what
1:01:03
has been
1:01:04
done for
1:01:05
us, but
1:01:06
we have been
1:01:07
saved to.
1:01:09
The more
1:01:09
we see the
1:01:10
beauty of
1:01:10
Christ, the
1:01:12
more we see
1:01:13
our need to
1:01:14
live for
1:01:15
him and
1:01:16
love him
1:01:17
who gave
1:01:18
himself for
1:01:19
us through
1:01:20
the precious
1:01:21
blood of
1:01:22
Christ that
1:01:23
has redeemed
1:01:24
us, that
1:01:25
we would
1:01:26
live through
1:01:27
faith and
1:01:28
hope in
1:01:29
God.
1:01:30
Let us
1:01:31
pray.
1:01:32
Our
1:01:33
Father in
1:01:34
heaven, may
1:01:35
you instruct
1:01:36
us and guide
1:01:36
us through
1:01:37
these words
1:01:38
to be a
1:01:39
people who
1:01:39
strive after
1:01:41
holiness, to
1:01:42
live for you
1:01:43
and to
1:01:43
recognize, yes
1:01:45
we fall
1:01:46
short, but
1:01:47
yes too, you
1:01:48
lift us up and
1:01:50
you help us, you
1:01:51
strengthen us to
1:01:52
go on.
1:01:52
So may you do
1:01:53
that for each
1:01:54
of us, we
1:01:55
ask in Jesus'
1:01:56
precious name.
1:01:58
Amen.
1:01:58
our closing item
1:02:05
of praise is
1:02:06
Psalm 16 in the
1:02:07
Sing Psalms.
1:02:11
Psalm 16 at
1:02:13
verse 8.
1:02:15
Again, just
1:02:15
reminds us where
1:02:17
our focus is to
1:02:18
be.
1:02:18
Before me
1:02:19
constantly, I
1:02:20
set the Lord
1:02:21
alone, because
1:02:22
he is at my
1:02:24
right hand.
1:02:24
I'll not be
1:02:26
overthrown.
1:02:27
We'll sing from
1:02:27
verse 8 to
1:02:28
11 to God's
1:02:30
praise.
1:02:30
Thank you.
1:03:00
Thank you.
1:03:30
Thank you.
1:04:00
Thank you.
1:04:30
Thank you.
1:05:00
Amen.
1:05:02
Amen.
1:05:04
Amen.
1:05:06
Amen.
1:05:08
Amen.
1:05:10
Amen.
1:05:12
Amen.
1:05:18
Amen.
1:05:19
Amen.
1:05:20
Amen.
1:05:22
Amen.
1:05:24
Amen.
1:05:26
Amen.
1:05:28
Amen.
1:05:30
Amen.