259: Christian Russell – Exhortation: Four Ways to be Strengthened

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Welcome to good Chris Elfian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris.

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And I’m Brian.
Thank you for joining us this

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week on this podcast.
We select one talk a week to

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help us get the Bible in our
Daily News feed.

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We post a new episode at the
start of each week.

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With a short intro beforehand to
kind of set the stage for the

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talk you’re about to listen to.
And now let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
This week’s talk is an

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expectation by brother Christian
Russell that he gave on August

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6th at Verdugo Hills.
It was suggested by member

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Verdugo Hills Ecclesia here in
California that is not Chris.

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That would.
I feel like it’s worth noting we

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don’t just give each other
suggestions, but this was a

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hesitation that was sent from a
different brother for Duke Hills

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and Chris said he wasn’t
actually in attendance, he was

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at a different meeting.
So Christian does a fantastic

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job in this very encouraging
hesitation.

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It’s kind of broad ranging,
touching in Mark and then also

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in Peter talking about Peter and
how you know how he was

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encouraged.
But really it is I think over

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and over on the theme of
reliance on the Lord and letting

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him remove our cares, knowing
that our father will never let

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us fall.
It’s a very, very encouraging

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station.
I was really, really excited to

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share it.
So here is Christian Russell,

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Four Ways to be Encouraged.
Thank you, Brother David, and

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good morning, my dear loved ones
in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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To those who are here, and to
those who are on Zoom, the

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purpose of an excitation is to
strengthen and to encourage.

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So before I begin, I have a
question for you to think about.

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What are four ways in which you
can feel strengthened and

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encouraged?
What are four ways that you can

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feel strengthened and
encouraged?

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There’s no right or wrong answer
here.

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If you’re analytical, you might
think about it one way.

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If you’re emotional, you might
think about it in a completely

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different way.
But are you yourself aware?

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Are you self aware, I suppose.
Are you aware of what you

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yourself actually need to feel
strengthened in your faith, to

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be encouraged in your faith
journey?

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But while you ponder that, in my
work I get to analyze a lot of

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claim data.
About leaves of absence and

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disabilities in the workplace.
And then I can consult back with

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my clients about what’s going on
and we try to find ways to help

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them.
And if there’s one growing trend

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that’s out there that we’ve been
observing actually for the past

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five years now, it’s that
anxiety and depression are on

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the rise in the workplace, not
that that comes as any kind of

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surprise to you.
People speculate why though, and

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this is when it gets
interesting.

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Is it the pace of the modern
workplace with 300 emails a day?

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That’s about what I get.
Maybe.

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Is it the expectation for
immediate service to each one of

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those 300 emails?
Is it the expectation for

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immediate service or immediate
response?

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Maybe that puts me on edge.
Is it because customers are

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growing increasingly entitled?
Oh yes, maybe definitely.

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Is it an issue of generational
resilience, which is one that

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comes up again?
Maybe.

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But I see pretty equal data from
both genders and all age groups.

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Now, I want to share with you
that in, I suppose, Full

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disclosure, some of you know
I’ve suffered from a generalized

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anxiety since I was a child.
It is a horrible feeling.

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It’s like nothing is stable,
nothing is reliable.

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It can feel like you’re hanging
over the edge of a Cliff, about

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to go over the edge.
And it can quickly take over and

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consume you.
And in my experience, one of the

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biggest causes of my anxiety has
been insecurity, insecurity and.

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And as somebody who is more
acutely aware of this, it does

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seem that a blatant strategy by
advertisers today is to

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capitalize on my insecurities in
order to promote all kinds of

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products and services to fill my
head with doubts.

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About my health or my finances
or my safety?

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Nothing out there, it seems, is
secure.

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But at the end of the day,
there’s one aspect of our lives,

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of our spiritual security, I
suppose, or 11 aspect of our

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lives.
Our security, which is generally

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treated as an afterthought, is
our spiritual security.

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Wind the clock back to the 1st
century to the people who this

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letter was written to.
To the brothers and sisters to

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whom the gospel was preached and
the Epistles were written, what

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do you think we would find?
Because I think we would find

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similar insecurities as we find
today.

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They had similar needs.
They had jobs they wanted to

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keep because they needed to
provide for their families.

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Food they wanted to put on the
table.

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Kitchens which needed fixing,
bathrooms that probably needed

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remodeling, roofs that needed
patching, Chariots that needed

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servicing.
And yet our brothers and sisters

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in the 1st century had more to
worry about, didn’t they?

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For they were surrounded by a
very real threat of persecution

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and even death.
Which is why they would have

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probably had so many questions
for the apostles about why God

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would let them go through so
much suffering, so much

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tribulation on their way to the
way to God’s fulfillment of his

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promises towards them.
And so the matter of an eternal

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security, a spiritual security,
was more vitally important to

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them day by day than it is
probably in our society.

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And So what we find when we read
the epistles, including Peter,

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what we find when we read them,
is not letters of advice on how

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to secure a satisfying job, or
how to earn lots of money, or

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how to secure your retirement,
but the writers of the New

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Testament.
Surrounded by haters and

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persecuted as they were, and
after having personally

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experienced the Lord Jesus
Christ, they felt compelled,

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compelled to address the
believers spiritual security and

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their spiritual strength, their
spiritual stability in the face

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of these very present challenges
and so.

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Their letters are filled with
guidance about how to secure

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their salvation, how to find a
lasting stability for their

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faith, and how to find a
security which is eternal.

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Peter in particular addresses
this issue in his first epistle.

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So if you’ve got your Bible
still open, turn to chapter one

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before, because before we get to
the excitation which is found in

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in chapter 5.
We need to understand the

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context of Peter’s epistle.
And really what I’d like is for

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Peter to provide us with the
excitation this morning about

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how God strengthens us, how God
encourages us, and from where

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that source of strength comes,
how God strengthens us, and

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where that source of strength
comes.

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So let’s look at the context of
Peter’s epistle to see how these

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pieces come together.
Otherwise it might be a little

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confusing.
So turn to chapter one.

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And just look at the way Peter
starts, because he starts by

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addressing this topic that was
at top of mind, not just for

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himself, but for all of those
who were enduring persecution

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for Christ, the insecurities
that they were facing, the

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difficulties, the challenges,
the trials.

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He gets right to it.
In verse six he says.

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In this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while if

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need be, you have been grieved
by various trials.

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But the genuineness of your
faith, being much more precious

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than gold that perishes though
it is tested by fire, may be

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found to praise, honor, and
glory at the revelation of Jesus

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Christ, others, and sisters.
Peter isn’t sugarcoating it.

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Peter isn’t sugarcoating it.
He says suffering and the

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insecurities or the grieving as
they would.

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That he uses the insecurities
which accompany it, is part of

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the Christian’s life.
But.

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He goes on.
There is profit from walking

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that path of faith.
Just look at the words he uses.

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Again, the genuineness of your
faith being much more precious

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than gold that perishes, though
it is tested by fire, may be

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found to praise, to honor, to
glory.

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When we see words like genuine,
precious praise, honor, and

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glory, they’re powerful words,
aren’t they?

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And words, says Peter that come.
Out of a place of testing.

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But ultimately what Peter does
in his epistle just to stand

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back is to try and take the
focus of the believer away from

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those trials and the suffering
and the difficulties and the

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challenges.
To take your focus away from

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that and point you instead point
us instead towards a glory which

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is coming.
And this is a theme which we see

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throughout his epistle to take
us and point our focus away from

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our trials and sufferings.
Towards a glory which is coming,

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a glory which will be revealed.
And we see that in verse six of

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chapter one, that though your
faith is tested by fire and may

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be found to praise, to honor and
glory when at the revelation of

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Jesus Christ.
And this is, in a nutshell, the

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epistle of Peter, that while
encouraging us to live

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courageously for Christ, he
wants us to remember to reflect

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the character of Christ even in
the face of our trials.

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And so when we get to 1st Peter,
chapter 4, which Brother James

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read verse 12, we have a better
understanding of what he means

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when he says do not think.
It’s strange concerning the

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fiery trial, which is to try you
as though some strange thing

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happened to you, but rejoice as
partakers of the suffering of

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Christ.
Now, if we do stand back from

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the epistle, we find an intense
practicality of what Peter, what

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Peter is saying in regards to
security and where to find it,

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in regards to adversity and how
to deal with it, how to endure

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it and in regards to anxiety and
how to deal with it.

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And the only way Peter says.
The only way to overcome the

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challenges, the trials, that the
sufferings that we encounter is

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to focus our attention on the
only means by which our eternal

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security can be found.
But, says Peter, there’s a

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catch.
To do any of this, you first

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must understand what it means to
submit to submit.

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And, and this might seem upside
down to us in our thinking, To

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those of us who are perhaps
think that the way to overcome

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anything or who have been raised
to think that the way to

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overcome anything or live in a
culture which teaches you to

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think that the way to overcome
anything is to fight to submit,

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is what he says, we must first
submit.

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You see what Peter is saying?
Is this how can we understand

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our own suffering unless we
first understand how he suffered

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the Lord Jesus Christ and that
when He suffered he submitted to

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His Father’s will?
And so a key theme of Peter’s

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epistle is submission.
We see it until we learn to

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submit.
How can we never?

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We can never truly understand
what it means to suffer for

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Christ until we learn to submit.
And so this is a challenging

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lesson from the beginning of his
epistle to the end.

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Servants to masters, he says,
Submit.

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Wives to husbands.
Submit.

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Husbands to wives, Submit
submission to one another, he

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says.
So with all of that in mind, we

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come to Chapter 5 where the
exitation is is contained.

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And so it is in chapter 5 that
Peter now reveals what our

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spiritual focus should be upon,
what our spiritual gaze should

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be upon.
What is the confidence of our of

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our hope?
What is it?

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The center at the core of our
eternal security?

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It’s right here in chapter 5 and
how we get it now.

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It’s a beautiful little chapter,
so let’s read it again.

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First, Peter, Chapter 5, The
Elders, Who are among you.

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I exhort I, who I’m a fellow
elder and a witness of the

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sufferings of Christ.
And also a partaker of the glory

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that will be revealed, Shepherd,
the flock of God, which is among

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you, serving as overseers, not
by compulsion, but willingly,

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not for dishonest gain, but
eagerly, not as being Lords over

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those entrusted to you, but
being examples to the flock.

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And when the Chief Shepherd
appears, you will receive the

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crown of glory that does not
fade away.

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Likewise, you younger people,
submit yourselves to your

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elders.
Yes, all of you be submissive to

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one another and be clothed with
humility.

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For God resists the proud, but
gives grace to the humble.

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00:14:04,560 –> 00:14:08,080
Therefore humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God,

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00:14:08,360 –> 00:14:12,480
that he may exalt you in due
time, casting all your care upon

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00:14:12,480 –> 00:14:16,520
him, For He cares for you.
Be sober.

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00:14:16,520 –> 00:14:18,470
Be vigilant.
Because your adversary, the

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00:14:18,470 –> 00:14:21,190
devil, walks around like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he

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00:14:21,190 –> 00:14:25,230
may devour, resist him steadfast
in the faith, knowing that the

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00:14:25,230 –> 00:14:27,990
same sufferings are experienced
by your brotherhood in the

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00:14:27,990 –> 00:14:30,870
world.
But may the God of all grace,

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00:14:30,870 –> 00:14:34,950
who called us to His eternal
glory by Christ Jesus after you,

229
00:14:34,950 –> 00:14:40,150
have suffered a while, perfect,
establish, strengthen, and

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00:14:40,150 –> 00:14:45,710
settle you to him be the glory
and the dominion forever and

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00:14:45,710 –> 00:14:47,500
ever.
Amen.

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00:14:49,500 –> 00:14:53,740
OK, So what I want to do is just
first of all make 4 observations

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00:14:53,740 –> 00:14:55,820
about Peter’s opening statement
here.

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00:14:55,820 –> 00:14:59,300
Most of them are in verse one,
Peter’s opening statement, SO4

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00:14:59,300 –> 00:15:01,220
observations.
And then I’m going to look at 4

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00:15:01,220 –> 00:15:05,900
verbs that Peter uses to exhort
us, 4 verbs that he uses to

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00:15:05,900 –> 00:15:07,420
exhort us.
So the first observation is

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00:15:07,420 –> 00:15:10,740
really quick.
Peter isn’t giving an excitation

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00:15:10,980 –> 00:15:15,530
which he himself is exempt from.
Peter isn’t giving an excitation

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00:15:15,530 –> 00:15:18,650
which he himself is exempt from.
When Peter tells us that we

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00:15:18,650 –> 00:15:22,410
should submit to one another, he
includes himself, and he

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00:15:22,410 –> 00:15:25,970
demonstrates that in verse one
because he doesn’t say, you know

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00:15:25,970 –> 00:15:28,450
you need to stop and you need to
listen to me because I’m Peter.

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00:15:29,610 –> 00:15:32,090
He doesn’t say that.
He doesn’t say you guys need to

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00:15:32,090 –> 00:15:34,370
listen to my excitation because
I’m Peter because I was the

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00:15:34,370 –> 00:15:37,890
first to leap off the boat.
I was the first to race into the

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00:15:37,890 –> 00:15:40,610
empty tomb.
He doesn’t say any of that.

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00:15:42,450 –> 00:15:45,240
He says.
The elders who are among you, I

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00:15:45,240 –> 00:15:52,400
exhort I, who am a fellow elder.
I am am a fellow elder, a Greek

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00:15:52,400 –> 00:15:55,360
preposition which implies a
union.

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00:15:55,400 –> 00:15:58,760
A union, something that the
lexicon tells us means closer

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00:15:58,760 –> 00:16:03,640
than just being physically among
or nearby, but implies it says a

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00:16:03,640 –> 00:16:08,480
proximity of companionship, even
completeness.

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00:16:08,480 –> 00:16:11,540
Let me say that again.
Implies A proximity of

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00:16:11,540 –> 00:16:14,460
companionship, even
completeness.

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00:16:15,380 –> 00:16:19,620
Brother Sisters, I I love that
because it articulates the joy

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00:16:20,220 –> 00:16:24,020
of true fellowship, doesn’t it?
It is literally what we are

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00:16:24,020 –> 00:16:26,900
experiencing right now, both
here and on Zoom.

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00:16:28,340 –> 00:16:33,060
We are experiencing A proximity.
Sure, we’re physically close to

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00:16:33,060 –> 00:16:36,140
one another, but what we’re
experiencing is more than just

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00:16:36,140 –> 00:16:40,200
being next to or nearby.
One another, there is a joy of

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00:16:40,200 –> 00:16:44,920
companionship, a joy of
fellowship, something we share

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00:16:45,520 –> 00:16:49,640
in common.
Second, I want you to notice

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00:16:49,640 –> 00:16:54,080
that the only credential that
Peter uses about himself is that

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00:16:54,080 –> 00:16:58,360
he was witness to the suffering
of Christ.

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00:16:58,880 –> 00:17:03,480
Not the victories, not the
victories, but the suffering of.

267
00:17:03,530 –> 00:17:05,329
Of Christ the Christ had to
suffer.

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00:17:05,730 –> 00:17:08,130
And I think that this is more
than just a continuation of the

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00:17:08,130 –> 00:17:12,369
theme from chapter 4, which we
had just looked at earlier when

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00:17:12,369 –> 00:17:15,530
he says rejoice as partakers of
the suffering of Christ.

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00:17:16,210 –> 00:17:19,210
I think it’s more than that,
because I think that this was

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00:17:19,210 –> 00:17:22,810
also an acknowledgement by Peter
of a lesson he had learned, a

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00:17:22,810 –> 00:17:25,569
lesson he had learned the hard
way.

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00:17:26,450 –> 00:17:29,940
Why do I say that?
Well, do you remember when Jesus

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00:17:29,940 –> 00:17:33,020
himself told the disciples that
very same thing?

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00:17:33,020 –> 00:17:37,420
That he had to suffer?
What was Peter’s response to

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00:17:37,420 –> 00:17:39,660
that?
Do you remember?

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00:17:40,620 –> 00:17:44,500
We’re told in Mark Eight that
Peter rebuked Jesus, a word that

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00:17:44,500 –> 00:17:47,460
implies that he almost
physically took him aside, and

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00:17:47,460 –> 00:17:50,540
he might have said no, no, no,
Lord, don’t say that.

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00:17:51,900 –> 00:17:55,300
We won’t let that happen to you.
Whatever he said, he rebuked

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00:17:55,380 –> 00:17:57,860
Jesus.
That’s what Mark’s account says.

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00:17:59,100 –> 00:18:02,820
And then we’re told in Mark
eight that Jesus rebuked Peter.

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00:18:02,820 –> 00:18:04,980
And the comment is specific, It
says in front of all the

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00:18:04,980 –> 00:18:15,660
disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter
and he said, get behind me

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00:18:15,660 –> 00:18:19,540
adversary, for you are not
mindful of the things of God,

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00:18:19,940 –> 00:18:24,220
but of the things of men.
And the word rebuke is a strong

288
00:18:24,220 –> 00:18:27,700
word.
Used here by in Mark, eight of

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00:18:27,780 –> 00:18:32,060
Jesus, and it’s only the Gospel
of Mark that uses it.

290
00:18:32,060 –> 00:18:34,940
Which is interesting to me
because Mark is considered to be

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00:18:34,940 –> 00:18:38,740
Peter’s gospel.
Peter’s observation, perhaps the

292
00:18:38,740 –> 00:18:42,460
first gospel that was written,
Peter’s observation, Peter’s own

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00:18:42,460 –> 00:18:44,580
perspective.
It’s as if Peter doesn’t want

294
00:18:44,580 –> 00:18:46,380
Mark to put lipstick on what
happened.

295
00:18:48,220 –> 00:18:52,060
He wants everyone to know what
really happened, that he was

296
00:18:52,060 –> 00:18:57,560
wrong to take the Lord aside.
And Jesus was right to rebuke

297
00:18:57,560 –> 00:18:59,680
him, because the lesson Peter
had learned, brothers and

298
00:18:59,680 –> 00:19:03,560
sisters, was that the ministry
of Jesus, the ministry of Jesus

299
00:19:03,560 –> 00:19:07,520
wasn’t about all the good bits,
the lessons that he taught, the

300
00:19:07,520 –> 00:19:09,760
miracles he performed, the
people he healed.

301
00:19:09,760 –> 00:19:13,840
Although it was that too.
What Peter is saying is that he

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00:19:13,840 –> 00:19:19,920
had been witness to the price
that Jesus paid, the cost that

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00:19:20,000 –> 00:19:26,820
Jesus paid for our salvation.
And that he was witness to his

304
00:19:26,820 –> 00:19:31,980
sufferings.
But it’s the rebuke of Jesus

305
00:19:31,980 –> 00:19:36,100
which is also revealing.
For it’s from this that I think

306
00:19:36,100 –> 00:19:38,580
Peter actually learns another
lesson that he shares with us.

307
00:19:38,580 –> 00:19:41,420
Because Jesus reveals a critical
truth about suffering and his

308
00:19:41,420 –> 00:19:44,100
comment and his rebuke to Jesus.
Consider what he says.

309
00:19:44,100 –> 00:19:46,780
Again, I’ll just read it to you.
Get behind me, for you are

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00:19:46,780 –> 00:19:51,100
mindful not of the things of
God, but of the things of man.

311
00:19:52,900 –> 00:19:56,180
Like us, you see, Peter’s
concerns were in the present,

312
00:19:56,900 –> 00:20:00,740
but Jesus’s response was that
our concerns over present things

313
00:20:00,740 –> 00:20:03,620
are just temporal.
They last but a moment on the

314
00:20:03,620 –> 00:20:07,980
divine timeline, and as such
they’re just things of men.

315
00:20:09,380 –> 00:20:13,420
But in comparison, says Jesus,
the things of God now they last

316
00:20:13,420 –> 00:20:20,140
forever, so worry about them.
And so in First Peter 5, Peter

317
00:20:20,140 –> 00:20:22,940
declares that it is.
The sufferings of Christ.

318
00:20:22,940 –> 00:20:27,660
That is central to the gospel
message that Jesus suffered for

319
00:20:27,660 –> 00:20:32,220
our sakes and Peter was witness
to his sufferings.

320
00:20:34,780 –> 00:20:37,060
The third thing to notice is,
well, observation.

321
00:20:37,060 –> 00:20:39,860
The third thing to notice is
what he says next Take a look at

322
00:20:39,860 –> 00:20:44,500
verse one of chapter 5.
Again I who am first a fellow

323
00:20:44,500 –> 00:20:49,580
elder, second a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and now he

324
00:20:49,580 –> 00:20:54,780
is third, a partaker of the
glory that will be revealed.

325
00:20:55,100 –> 00:21:00,020
Again, I think that this was one
of Peter’s goals, to turn the

326
00:21:00,020 –> 00:21:03,860
believer from those present
circumstances and worries the

327
00:21:03,860 –> 00:21:07,900
things of men, and turn them
instead to look at what is

328
00:21:07,900 –> 00:21:13,620
eternal, the things of God, as
Peter says here to the glory of

329
00:21:13,620 –> 00:21:17,700
God, which is coming.
It’s a beautiful picture to see

330
00:21:18,340 –> 00:21:20,220
that this is what Peter is
trying to do.

331
00:21:20,880 –> 00:21:24,400
He’s acknowledging that we face
suffering, that we have anxiety,

332
00:21:24,400 –> 00:21:26,280
that we have difficulties in
trials.

333
00:21:26,840 –> 00:21:30,040
But he’s saying turn your gaze
from those things, which are the

334
00:21:30,040 –> 00:21:32,280
things of men.
They last just a moment on the

335
00:21:32,280 –> 00:21:37,200
divine timeline and turn your
focus instead to the things that

336
00:21:37,200 –> 00:21:38,520
are eternal.
Let me just read to you.

337
00:21:38,520 –> 00:21:40,800
I’m going to try this rather
than you’re looking at it.

338
00:21:40,800 –> 00:21:43,800
I’m just going to read this to
you from first Peter One.

339
00:21:43,800 –> 00:21:48,300
Let me What do you hear?
Let’s be the God and Father of

340
00:21:48,300 –> 00:21:50,980
our Lord Jesus Christ, who,
according to his abundant mercy,

341
00:21:50,980 –> 00:21:55,900
has begotten us again to a
living hope through the

342
00:21:55,900 –> 00:22:00,020
resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to an inheritance,

343
00:22:00,100 –> 00:22:05,120
incorruptible and undefiled,
that does not fade away,

344
00:22:05,480 –> 00:22:09,720
reserved in heaven for you who
are kept by the power of God

345
00:22:09,720 –> 00:22:13,680
through faith of salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last

346
00:22:13,680 –> 00:22:17,160
time.
In this you greatly rejoice,

347
00:22:17,160 –> 00:22:20,080
though now for a little while if
need be, you have been grieved

348
00:22:20,080 –> 00:22:23,840
by various trials that the
genuineness of your faith, being

349
00:22:23,840 –> 00:22:26,480
much more precious than gold
that perishes, though it is

350
00:22:26,480 –> 00:22:31,080
tested by fire, may be found to
praise and honor and glory at

351
00:22:31,080 –> 00:22:36,210
the revelation of Jesus Christ,
who, having not seen you love,

352
00:22:36,890 –> 00:22:41,690
though now you do not see him
yet believing you rejoice with

353
00:22:41,690 –> 00:22:46,370
joy and expressible and full of
glory, receiving the end of your

354
00:22:46,370 –> 00:22:49,770
faith, the salvation of your
souls.

355
00:22:49,770 –> 00:22:53,690
Do you hear it?
We hear in these opening words

356
00:22:53,690 –> 00:22:57,650
of this letter, this epistle of
Peter, Peter trying to turn from

357
00:22:57,650 –> 00:23:01,890
the very opening versus turn our
attention away from the things

358
00:23:01,890 –> 00:23:05,500
that consumers turn our
attention from our present

359
00:23:05,500 –> 00:23:11,660
circumstances to a glorious
future that will be revealed, a

360
00:23:11,660 –> 00:23:16,140
future which is promised, a
future which will come to pass.

361
00:23:16,820 –> 00:23:19,620
And so at the end of his
epistle.

362
00:23:19,620 –> 00:23:21,980
So if that’s the beginning at
the end of his epistle, This is

363
00:23:21,980 –> 00:23:26,220
why Peter says I am a partaker
of the glory that will be

364
00:23:26,220 –> 00:23:30,510
revealed.
So this then is the context and

365
00:23:30,510 –> 00:23:32,750
the framework for his excitation
or the excitation.

366
00:23:32,750 –> 00:23:38,470
Today, no matter what we face
now, there is an eternal glory

367
00:23:38,470 –> 00:23:43,630
which is coming, The blessing of
God’s eternal presence in the

368
00:23:43,630 –> 00:23:46,710
Kingdom.
And that regardless of what we

369
00:23:46,710 –> 00:23:50,190
have now or possessed now there
is an inheritance which will

370
00:23:50,190 –> 00:23:54,070
never fade away, never spoil,
never perish.

371
00:23:54,270 –> 00:23:57,150
A blessing which is guaranteed.
A blessing which will never

372
00:23:57,150 –> 00:24:00,100
evaporate out of our hands.
Unlike everything from the

373
00:24:00,100 –> 00:24:03,460
world, it will never evaporate
out of your hands.

374
00:24:03,980 –> 00:24:06,180
A blessing which will never lose
value.

375
00:24:06,620 –> 00:24:13,380
It is absolutely secure.
Just notice quickly before I

376
00:24:13,380 –> 00:24:16,820
move on.
If you would notice the tenses

377
00:24:16,820 –> 00:24:20,100
in that verse in verse one,
because we might see something

378
00:24:20,100 –> 00:24:22,140
else.
What does Peter say?

379
00:24:22,140 –> 00:24:26,340
Again, I was a witness to the
sufferings of Christ.

380
00:24:27,360 –> 00:24:33,760
I am a fellow elder with you in
Christ, and I will be a partaker

381
00:24:34,240 –> 00:24:37,920
of the coming glory of Christ.
It’s as if Peter counts his

382
00:24:37,920 –> 00:24:41,360
experience with Christ as the
beginning, the middle, and the

383
00:24:41,480 –> 00:24:45,240
end of his discipleship.
That Jesus is his past, Jesus is

384
00:24:45,240 –> 00:24:47,760
his present, and Jesus is his
future.

385
00:24:48,320 –> 00:24:52,880
Everything he claims to now be.
Everything he claims to have

386
00:24:52,880 –> 00:24:55,040
been in the past.
Everything he claims to have in

387
00:24:55,040 –> 00:25:00,660
the future is in Christ, and
everything about himself is then

388
00:25:00,660 –> 00:25:02,420
pushed aside, brothers and
sisters.

389
00:25:02,420 –> 00:25:05,340
If that isn’t submission to
Christ, I don’t know what is.

390
00:25:07,300 –> 00:25:11,940
Everything he claims to now be,
everything he claims to to to

391
00:25:11,940 –> 00:25:15,020
have had, and everything he
claims that he will have is in

392
00:25:15,020 –> 00:25:18,740
Christ.
Jesus is his past, his present

393
00:25:19,300 –> 00:25:21,460
and his future.
Can we say that about ourselves?

394
00:25:23,230 –> 00:25:27,750
Can I say that my life before I
knew Christ was nothing, that my

395
00:25:27,750 –> 00:25:30,270
life only really truly began
when I heard the gospel of

396
00:25:30,270 –> 00:25:33,070
Christ and understood that he
suffered from my sins?

397
00:25:33,070 –> 00:25:36,270
Can I say that?
Can I say that the only thing

398
00:25:36,270 –> 00:25:39,950
that counts now is true
fellowship in Christ with him,

399
00:25:39,950 –> 00:25:46,790
with you, with the Lord, is the
one thing I value most on life’s

400
00:25:46,790 –> 00:25:50,150
journey to see the glory of
Christ in the Kingdom?

401
00:25:52,210 –> 00:25:57,450
Because if I can’t say no to
myself and yes to Christ and

402
00:25:57,450 –> 00:26:00,210
each aspect of my life, past,
present, and future.

403
00:26:01,250 –> 00:26:04,370
If I’m more proud of my
credentials than my past

404
00:26:04,370 –> 00:26:06,730
accomplishment and my past
accomplishments, than in the

405
00:26:06,730 –> 00:26:10,890
accomplishments of Christ.
If I am more proud of my current

406
00:26:10,890 –> 00:26:16,330
status or position or job or
title, my income, my reputation,

407
00:26:16,530 –> 00:26:20,820
than my fellowship in Christ, if
I am thinking more about my

408
00:26:20,820 –> 00:26:25,300
legacy or what I want for me or
my family than what I can do for

409
00:26:25,300 –> 00:26:29,940
Christ, then perhaps I need to
go away and reflect a little bit

410
00:26:29,940 –> 00:26:32,020
more deeply upon the sufferings
of Christ.

411
00:26:36,540 –> 00:26:39,660
Now, the 4th observation is not
in verse one, and it’s perhaps

412
00:26:39,660 –> 00:26:43,380
more of a speculation.
It’s about the inspiration for

413
00:26:43,380 –> 00:26:47,400
this epistle or some of the
contents of what Peter says, the

414
00:26:47,400 –> 00:26:50,000
inspiration for Peter because
there’s a phrase Peter used

415
00:26:50,000 –> 00:26:52,040
which kind of jumped out when I
was looking at it.

416
00:26:52,400 –> 00:26:55,240
And it’s a phrase which links
Peter back to one man in

417
00:26:55,240 –> 00:26:58,760
particular and one book in
particular.

418
00:26:59,760 –> 00:27:02,480
And I think it’s the background
to that book which gives some

419
00:27:02,480 –> 00:27:05,400
parallel, some insight into what
Peter may have been thinking

420
00:27:05,400 –> 00:27:07,000
about as he was writing his
epistle.

421
00:27:07,280 –> 00:27:09,640
And the phrase is found in verse
six of chapter five.

422
00:27:10,000 –> 00:27:14,680
He says, therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand

423
00:27:14,680 –> 00:27:18,920
of God.
Now there’s 15 places where the

424
00:27:18,920 –> 00:27:22,880
mighty hand of God appears.
All of them are in the Old

425
00:27:22,880 –> 00:27:28,600
Testament. 12 of them describe
one and the same thing, and nine

426
00:27:28,600 –> 00:27:32,920
of them are found in one book.
So what is the book?

427
00:27:34,560 –> 00:27:37,800
It’s Deuteronomy.
And so if it’s Deuteronomy, then

428
00:27:37,800 –> 00:27:40,520
who is the person?
It’s Moses.

429
00:27:41,760 –> 00:27:43,920
And So what are the
circumstances of Deuteronomy

430
00:27:44,120 –> 00:27:46,720
that might be a parallel to what
Peter is dealing with?

431
00:27:47,320 –> 00:27:49,880
Well, we discover that
Deuteronomy is a testimony, if

432
00:27:49,880 –> 00:27:55,720
you like, of Moses before he
dies, you, if you want to turn

433
00:27:55,720 –> 00:27:58,840
to Deuteronomy chapter 3, do so.
Deuteronomy chapter 3.

434
00:27:58,840 –> 00:28:00,720
We’re going to look at verse 23
and 25.

435
00:28:00,720 –> 00:28:03,680
But you know, Moses at this
point, at the beginning of

436
00:28:03,680 –> 00:28:06,000
Deuteronomy, he already knows
that he’s not going to enter

437
00:28:06,000 –> 00:28:08,840
them to the land, the promised
Land, at the very beginning of

438
00:28:08,840 –> 00:28:11,830
Deuteronomy.
He already knows this, so he’s

439
00:28:11,830 –> 00:28:17,430
reflecting, he’s looking back
and and the reason why he’s not

440
00:28:17,430 –> 00:28:19,870
entering the Promised Land is
because he’d been rebuked by the

441
00:28:19,870 –> 00:28:22,310
Lord for striking the rock,
hadn’t he?

442
00:28:22,350 –> 00:28:26,510
So Deuteronomy begins with Moses
pleading to God, please let me

443
00:28:26,510 –> 00:28:30,190
cross the river Jordan into the
Promised Land, verse 23 to 25 of

444
00:28:30,190 –> 00:28:32,350
chapter 3.
Then I pleaded with the Lord at

445
00:28:32,350 –> 00:28:35,830
that time, saying, oh, Lord God,
you have begun to show your

446
00:28:35,830 –> 00:28:38,910
servant your greatness and your
mighty hand.

447
00:28:39,920 –> 00:28:43,080
But what God is there in heaven
or on earth, who can do anything

448
00:28:43,080 –> 00:28:45,000
like your works and your mighty
deeds?

449
00:28:45,400 –> 00:28:48,760
I pray, let me cross over and
see the good land beyond the

450
00:28:48,760 –> 00:28:51,560
Jordan, those pleasant mountains
in Lebanon.

451
00:28:52,000 –> 00:28:54,520
He’s pleading with God, Let me
pass over the river.

452
00:28:56,520 –> 00:28:59,440
And so here in Deuteronomy 3 is
the first occurrence of this

453
00:28:59,440 –> 00:29:04,960
phrase, the mighty hand of God.
And and after this, it appears

454
00:29:05,000 –> 00:29:11,630
eight more times in Deuteronomy
by Moses, eight more references

455
00:29:11,630 –> 00:29:14,910
to the mighty hand of God.
And they’re all about the same

456
00:29:14,910 –> 00:29:17,350
thing.
And they’re all along the lines

457
00:29:17,350 –> 00:29:20,630
of this.
The Lord brought us out of Egypt

458
00:29:21,070 –> 00:29:24,110
with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm.

459
00:29:24,110 –> 00:29:27,590
In other words, the context of
this phrase, this statement, the

460
00:29:27,590 –> 00:29:31,470
mighty hand of God.
The context is that God is our

461
00:29:31,470 –> 00:29:34,790
deliverer.
With a mighty hand and an

462
00:29:34,790 –> 00:29:36,950
outstretched arm, he delivered
us.

463
00:29:38,820 –> 00:29:41,620
God is our deliverer.
Well, So what?

464
00:29:42,820 –> 00:29:44,300
Nice little Bible study.
So what?

465
00:29:44,300 –> 00:29:45,820
What does that have to do with
Peter?

466
00:29:46,460 –> 00:29:49,980
Well, what better example or
parallel could there be for

467
00:29:49,980 –> 00:29:53,260
Peter at the end of his journey
than Moses at the end of his?

468
00:29:54,460 –> 00:29:58,740
Both were divinely appointed
leaders of the children of God.

469
00:29:58,740 –> 00:30:01,780
Moses was shepherding the flock
of the new nation out of Egypt,

470
00:30:02,060 –> 00:30:05,620
appointed by God himself,
dealing with the challenges of

471
00:30:05,620 –> 00:30:09,340
persecution from without and
challenges from within, yet all

472
00:30:09,340 –> 00:30:13,660
the time believing that the Lord
would deliver His people with a

473
00:30:13,660 –> 00:30:15,420
mighty hand and an outstretched
arm.

474
00:30:15,420 –> 00:30:17,380
And and we have in the New
Testament, we have Peter

475
00:30:18,180 –> 00:30:21,540
shepherding the flock of the new
church, appointed by Jesus

476
00:30:21,540 –> 00:30:27,300
Christ himself to tend the sheep
and feed His lambs, dealing with

477
00:30:27,300 –> 00:30:30,820
the challenges of persecution
from without and challenges from

478
00:30:30,820 –> 00:30:34,540
within, yet all the time
believing that the Lord would

479
00:30:34,540 –> 00:30:38,700
deliver His people.
And So what we have here is

480
00:30:38,700 –> 00:30:41,940
Peter at the end of his journey,
now writing to encourage all of

481
00:30:41,940 –> 00:30:45,340
us, all of the believers on
their journey with this

482
00:30:45,340 –> 00:30:49,060
excitation, that there is this
future glory that is coming when

483
00:30:49,060 –> 00:30:52,620
the Lord will deliver His people
with a mighty hand and an

484
00:30:52,620 –> 00:30:56,900
outstretched arm.
And so the lesson from Peter,

485
00:30:56,900 –> 00:30:58,580
and perhaps from Moses 2 is
this.

486
00:30:58,860 –> 00:31:08,340
If you want God to deliver you,
you must submit under God’s

487
00:31:08,860 –> 00:31:15,380
mighty hand.
And submit means losing sight of

488
00:31:15,380 –> 00:31:21,420
everything about ourselves and
focus instead upon him, upon the

489
00:31:21,420 –> 00:31:27,430
fulfillment of his plan, his
purpose, just as the Lord Jesus

490
00:31:27,430 –> 00:31:31,550
did.
Now this is all great.

491
00:31:32,030 –> 00:31:34,630
This is the theme of Peter’s
excitation.

492
00:31:35,270 –> 00:31:37,230
But we still actually haven’t
reached the core of it.

493
00:31:37,430 –> 00:31:40,790
We haven’t reached the center of
our Christian security.

494
00:31:40,790 –> 00:31:43,510
Because doing those things, what
I mean by doing those things,

495
00:31:43,790 –> 00:31:46,550
submitting yourself, humbling
yourself, these are all actually

496
00:31:46,550 –> 00:31:50,630
just actions on our part.
They don’t of themselves.

497
00:31:50,630 –> 00:31:53,550
They can’t actually of
themselves save us, can they?

498
00:31:54,780 –> 00:32:01,340
But Peter does tell us what can
and what does save us, and when

499
00:32:01,340 –> 00:32:03,780
we see it, we realize He’s
mentioned it in chapter one,

500
00:32:03,780 –> 00:32:07,900
chapter three, chapter 4, and
now in chapter 5, Peter says in

501
00:32:07,900 –> 00:32:14,700
verse 5 for God gives grace to
the humble.

502
00:32:15,460 –> 00:32:19,540
In other words, despite all of
the things that we can try to do

503
00:32:19,540 –> 00:32:24,310
for ourselves to make ourselves
secure, buying it, working it,

504
00:32:24,310 –> 00:32:27,230
whatever it is to try to make
ourselves secure, it is

505
00:32:27,230 –> 00:32:31,270
ultimately what we cannot do,
that we so desperately need

506
00:32:32,390 –> 00:32:34,190
something.
We need God to come in and

507
00:32:34,190 –> 00:32:40,350
provide for us His grace, for it
is God’s grace which is at the

508
00:32:40,350 –> 00:32:43,030
very core and center of our
spiritual security.

509
00:32:43,030 –> 00:32:48,360
It is grace which flows from the
very character, the very center

510
00:32:48,360 –> 00:32:50,160
of the character of our Heavenly
Father.

511
00:32:50,360 –> 00:32:55,320
It emerges like if you will, it
emerges out from who He is.

512
00:32:56,200 –> 00:33:00,040
Grace when out of His loving
kindness, He grants to us what

513
00:33:00,040 –> 00:33:02,960
we do not deserve.
When we deserve judgment, He

514
00:33:02,960 –> 00:33:05,680
grants us mercy.
When we deserve condemnation, He

515
00:33:05,680 –> 00:33:09,800
grants us forgiveness.
When we deserve death, he grants

516
00:33:09,800 –> 00:33:15,530
to us life.
The center, the core of our

517
00:33:15,530 –> 00:33:19,730
eternal security is grace, the
grace of God.

518
00:33:21,130 –> 00:33:23,370
Peter himself has been touched
by grace, hasn’t he?

519
00:33:24,050 –> 00:33:25,730
He’s seen it in the Lord Jesus
Christ.

520
00:33:25,730 –> 00:33:28,250
He’s experienced it, He’s seen
it, He’s felt it, He’s known it.

521
00:33:29,850 –> 00:33:33,050
And now he has an excitation for
us about what the God of all

522
00:33:33,050 –> 00:33:36,010
grace can do in verse 10.
The excitation.

523
00:33:36,010 –> 00:33:39,730
What the about what the God of
all grace can do in the life of

524
00:33:39,810 –> 00:33:42,770
all believers, everywhere in the
life of any believer, anywhere,

525
00:33:42,770 –> 00:33:48,320
actually, even if that believer
is enduring trials and

526
00:33:48,320 –> 00:33:55,000
suffering, perhaps in spite of,
or perhaps especially for the

527
00:33:55,000 –> 00:33:57,320
believer who is enduring trials
and suffering.

528
00:33:58,120 –> 00:34:00,160
So we come to verse 10 of
chapter 5.

529
00:34:01,640 –> 00:34:05,280
But may the God of all grace who
called us to his eternal glory

530
00:34:05,280 –> 00:34:09,880
by Christ Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, perfect.

531
00:34:10,440 –> 00:34:15,150
Establish, strengthen, and
settle you to him.

532
00:34:15,150 –> 00:34:17,270
Be the glory and dominion
forever and ever.

533
00:34:18,030 –> 00:34:21,110
Amen.
In other words, Peter is saying,

534
00:34:22,510 –> 00:34:25,270
submit yourself under the mighty
hand of God.

535
00:34:25,270 –> 00:34:29,550
Move aside, get out the way,
submit yourself under the mighty

536
00:34:29,550 –> 00:34:35,710
hand of God, and let the God of
all grace step in, for he cares

537
00:34:35,710 –> 00:34:38,550
for you.
So what is it?

538
00:34:38,550 –> 00:34:41,710
What are the four verbs that
Peter says the God of all grace

539
00:34:41,710 –> 00:34:45,270
can do?
Well, I hope that these four

540
00:34:45,270 –> 00:34:49,190
things will exhort and encourage
you today, verse 10.

541
00:34:49,190 –> 00:34:52,310
Again new King James.
But may the God of all grace who

542
00:34:52,310 –> 00:34:54,870
called you all called us to his
eternal glory.

543
00:34:55,870 –> 00:34:58,430
By Jesus Christ, after you have
suffered a while, perfect

544
00:34:58,670 –> 00:35:00,750
establish, strengthen, and
settle you.

545
00:35:00,750 –> 00:35:04,310
If you’re reading it in the NIV
it will say God will himself

546
00:35:04,630 –> 00:35:10,510
restore you, make you strong,
firm and steadfast.

547
00:35:11,850 –> 00:35:15,250
So first then Peter says the God
of all grace will perfect you.

548
00:35:15,850 –> 00:35:20,490
Or in the NIV restore and in the
Greek this is 2 words combined

549
00:35:20,490 –> 00:35:24,570
together, cata, tizzo, cata
which means to join and arteos

550
00:35:24,570 –> 00:35:27,890
which means fresh, in other
words to join afresh, to rejoin,

551
00:35:28,610 –> 00:35:32,570
to join afresh, to refresh by by
by implication to complete.

552
00:35:33,850 –> 00:35:36,970
It’s a word that’s used about
taking something that’s broken

553
00:35:38,010 –> 00:35:42,250
and making it whole.
For example, in Mark Four, it’s

554
00:35:42,250 –> 00:35:46,970
used to describe the disciples
who were mending the Nets.

555
00:35:47,730 –> 00:35:50,050
They were mending their Nets,
they were taking the Nets, which

556
00:35:50,050 –> 00:35:53,730
were tangled and broken, and
they were fixing them so that

557
00:35:53,730 –> 00:35:59,090
they could catch fish again.
It’s a word that would be used

558
00:35:59,090 –> 00:36:05,290
if a doctor was to reset a
broken bone with care just and

559
00:36:05,290 –> 00:36:08,350
just consider that definition
for those of us who are in

560
00:36:08,470 –> 00:36:11,270
positions where we sometimes
come across these situations.

561
00:36:11,270 –> 00:36:14,510
In Galatians 6 verse one, the
context is somebody who’s

562
00:36:14,510 –> 00:36:16,910
overtaken by sin.
Listen to the words that he

563
00:36:16,910 –> 00:36:19,710
uses.
Brethren, if a man is overtaken

564
00:36:19,710 –> 00:36:24,030
in any trespass, you who are
spiritual and here’s the word

565
00:36:24,590 –> 00:36:29,910
restore, such an one in a spirit
of gentleness.

566
00:36:31,350 –> 00:36:36,160
Restore, reset, repair with
care, with gentleness, the bone

567
00:36:36,160 –> 00:36:38,000
that is broken, the one who is
sinned.

568
00:36:38,840 –> 00:36:42,480
And it’s also a word that’s used
to describe a ship damaged by

569
00:36:42,480 –> 00:36:45,280
the rough seas and the wind
being brought back to harbor,

570
00:36:45,800 –> 00:36:48,520
that it might be repaired.
Brothers and sisters, which of

571
00:36:48,520 –> 00:36:53,240
us does not feel the need to be
repaired or restored?

572
00:36:54,080 –> 00:36:56,920
That we might set sail on the
rough seas of life again?

573
00:36:58,520 –> 00:37:02,330
And I want you to notice as
well, especially in the NIV, it

574
00:37:02,330 –> 00:37:07,050
says, Peter says that the God of
all grace will himself do it.

575
00:37:07,050 –> 00:37:09,890
In other words, the person who
comes to God, damaged and broken

576
00:37:09,890 –> 00:37:13,170
and in need of restoration and
repair, will not be repaired by

577
00:37:13,330 –> 00:37:19,130
anyone other than by the tender
care of the Creator himself.

578
00:37:21,570 –> 00:37:24,690
And so the excitation that Peter
has for us is that the God of

579
00:37:24,690 –> 00:37:28,370
all, grace, is in the business
of putting you back together

580
00:37:28,370 –> 00:37:33,880
again.
The 2nd verb Peter uses is the

581
00:37:33,880 –> 00:37:37,160
word establish.
Again, two Greek words combined,

582
00:37:37,160 –> 00:37:40,840
one which means to stand and the
other which means stable.

583
00:37:40,840 –> 00:37:45,520
To stand stable, the lexicon
actually says it’s to set fast,

584
00:37:45,520 –> 00:37:48,120
to fasten, to fix, which they
would usually do with like a

585
00:37:48,120 –> 00:37:51,400
nail or something or a prop.
It’s the picture of nailing

586
00:37:51,400 –> 00:37:54,920
something in place so that it
doesn’t fall over or props or

587
00:37:54,920 –> 00:37:57,480
supports to stop something from
tipping over.

588
00:37:58,560 –> 00:38:03,680
In other words, Peter is saying
that God himself can establish

589
00:38:03,680 –> 00:38:07,560
us, set us, make us strong, the
NIV, so that we don’t fall over.

590
00:38:08,720 –> 00:38:11,160
It’s not about you, It’s not
about what other people can do.

591
00:38:11,160 –> 00:38:13,840
It’s not about all of those
support services around you.

592
00:38:13,840 –> 00:38:18,560
God will be the one who can help
you so you don’t fall over.

593
00:38:19,560 –> 00:38:24,000
So if you’ve ever felt like your
faith was toppling, then this

594
00:38:24,000 –> 00:38:26,840
word, this verb, should be of
great encouragement to you.

595
00:38:26,840 –> 00:38:32,160
For you can have the confidence
that your weakness is more than

596
00:38:32,160 –> 00:38:37,400
compensated for by his strength.
And notice again here, Peter

597
00:38:37,400 –> 00:38:39,960
doesn’t say he’s the God of some
grace.

598
00:38:41,320 –> 00:38:44,360
He says he’s the God of all
grace.

599
00:38:46,120 –> 00:38:50,800
In other words, all aspects of
your life, all aspects of human

600
00:38:50,800 –> 00:38:54,120
need, are more than solved by
the grace of God.

601
00:38:54,120 –> 00:38:57,520
There’s not one of us who has a
burden which is too heavy for

602
00:38:57,520 –> 00:38:59,640
the Lord to carry.
There’s not one of us who has a

603
00:38:59,640 –> 00:39:02,440
need which is too great for the
Lord to be able to solve.

604
00:39:02,640 –> 00:39:04,320
He can prevail in every
situation.

605
00:39:04,320 –> 00:39:08,680
He can meet every need.
There is no extent of suffering

606
00:39:08,680 –> 00:39:12,080
that can exhaust His supply.
Yes, there’s God of all grace

607
00:39:12,800 –> 00:39:15,600
who has called you to be his,
even though in the midst of

608
00:39:15,600 –> 00:39:19,400
suffering you may find yourself
falling.

609
00:39:21,040 –> 00:39:24,080
He is the one who can make you
strong.

610
00:39:26,400 –> 00:39:28,720
And it’s a word that Peter was
intimately familiar with, too,

611
00:39:28,720 –> 00:39:32,200
because Jesus actually uses it
to Peter about a job you wanted

612
00:39:32,200 –> 00:39:36,120
Peter to do.
He says Simon, Simon, I have

613
00:39:36,120 –> 00:39:38,160
prayed for you that your faith
should not fail.

614
00:39:38,160 –> 00:39:42,680
And when you have returned to me
is the word strengthen your

615
00:39:42,680 –> 00:39:44,080
brethren.
That’s this word.

616
00:39:44,480 –> 00:39:46,240
Strengthen your brethren.
Prop them up.

617
00:39:47,310 –> 00:39:50,550
Perhaps some insight that what
Jesus saw in Peter was this

618
00:39:50,550 –> 00:39:53,270
ability to come alongside and
support.

619
00:39:53,870 –> 00:39:56,790
Prop somebody up so that they
wouldn’t fall over.

620
00:39:57,150 –> 00:40:00,550
Prop them up from time to time
and at the end of the day that

621
00:40:00,550 –> 00:40:04,350
though Peter wants all believers
everywhere to know that while we

622
00:40:04,350 –> 00:40:07,310
may be able to do that for one
another from time to time,

623
00:40:07,310 –> 00:40:10,590
coming in and propping one
another up at the end of the

624
00:40:10,590 –> 00:40:16,110
day, it is ultimately the God of
all, grace himself.

625
00:40:17,340 –> 00:40:20,740
Who can truly do this in your
life and in mine?

626
00:40:23,860 –> 00:40:28,740
The third verb is to strengthen.
This word is different from the

627
00:40:28,740 –> 00:40:31,300
other one we just looked at,
which was also to strengthen.

628
00:40:31,300 –> 00:40:33,580
Think about that other one as
being strengthening from the

629
00:40:33,620 –> 00:40:36,260
outside.
This one is an inner strength,

630
00:40:36,260 –> 00:40:39,580
the strength that prevents you
from collapsing as a result of a

631
00:40:39,580 –> 00:40:43,300
weakness from with inside.
And so maybe think here of your

632
00:40:43,300 –> 00:40:46,570
core muscles.
In fact, the lexicon does you

633
00:40:46,570 –> 00:40:50,450
the use the words it says.
The words imply bodily vigor.

634
00:40:52,810 –> 00:40:56,330
Peter is saying not only are we
stabilized externally by God,

635
00:40:57,330 –> 00:41:03,130
but God can also strengthen us
inwardly too, to prevent us from

636
00:41:03,130 –> 00:41:06,730
collapsing.
In other words, those of us who

637
00:41:06,730 –> 00:41:10,090
are feeling weak, or when we
feel weak because we all feel

638
00:41:10,090 –> 00:41:12,780
weak from time to time for
whatever reason, whether it’s

639
00:41:12,780 –> 00:41:16,540
trials or tribulation or health
or age or poverty or

640
00:41:16,540 –> 00:41:20,020
circumstance, whatever reason,
we are feeling weak internally.

641
00:41:20,340 –> 00:41:26,260
The Lord God, the God of all,
grace himself, can strengthen

642
00:41:26,260 –> 00:41:30,740
you.
So the God of all grace is the

643
00:41:30,740 –> 00:41:34,060
God who will restore us.
He is the God who will make us

644
00:41:34,060 –> 00:41:40,790
strong, and here he is the God
who will make us firm, and

645
00:41:40,790 –> 00:41:42,750
lastly, he will make you
steadfast.

646
00:41:43,630 –> 00:41:48,030
This is a verb that means to
settle, to make stable, to lay a

647
00:41:48,030 –> 00:41:50,430
foundation for.
So, brothers and sisters.

648
00:41:50,430 –> 00:41:53,990
The emphasis here is upon laying
a foundation is upon

649
00:41:53,990 –> 00:41:56,350
foundations.
That God is the stabilizing

650
00:41:56,350 –> 00:41:59,790
foundation in your life.
We’re all very familiar with the

651
00:41:59,790 –> 00:42:02,630
parable, aren’t we, of the
foolish man who built his house

652
00:42:02,630 –> 00:42:05,030
upon the sand.
And and if this isn’t a

653
00:42:05,030 –> 00:42:07,190
description of what anxiety
feels like, I don’t know what

654
00:42:07,190 –> 00:42:09,930
is.
But everything says Jesus came

655
00:42:09,930 –> 00:42:16,770
crashing down at a moment.
Everything can come crashing

656
00:42:16,770 –> 00:42:19,090
down.
How can we prevent that from

657
00:42:19,090 –> 00:42:20,330
happening?
Says Jesus.

658
00:42:21,290 –> 00:42:22,850
Jesus gives you the answer in
Luke.

659
00:42:23,010 –> 00:42:27,770
Whoever comes to me, and here’s
my sayings and does them, Jesus

660
00:42:27,770 –> 00:42:32,410
says, is like a man building a
house who dug deep and laid the

661
00:42:32,410 –> 00:42:36,170
foundation upon the rock.
And when the flood rose and the

662
00:42:36,170 –> 00:42:39,930
stream beat against that house
and could not shake it, for it

663
00:42:39,930 –> 00:42:44,210
was and here’s the word, it was
founded on the rock.

664
00:42:46,330 –> 00:42:48,330
Is there anything else, brothers
and sisters, which gives us a

665
00:42:48,330 –> 00:42:51,250
firm foundation on which to we
on which we can stand?

666
00:42:52,250 –> 00:42:54,890
How about Ephesians 3.
Let me read these verses to you.

667
00:42:54,890 –> 00:42:59,010
Don’t turn it up, Ephesians 3.
Which we’re told it is the agape

668
00:42:59,010 –> 00:43:02,530
love of Christ which grounds us.
That’s the word that you’ll use

669
00:43:03,090 –> 00:43:04,730
which settles us and establishes
us.

670
00:43:05,050 –> 00:43:09,210
I bow my knees to the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, That he

671
00:43:09,210 –> 00:43:12,170
would grant you, according to
the riches of his glory, to be

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00:43:12,170 –> 00:43:15,090
strengthened with might through
his spirit in the inner man.

673
00:43:15,850 –> 00:43:18,570
That Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith.

674
00:43:19,170 –> 00:43:25,290
That you being here, it is
rooted and grounded in agape.

675
00:43:25,290 –> 00:43:29,910
Love in agape may be able to
comprehend with all the Saints

676
00:43:29,910 –> 00:43:33,950
what is the width and the length
and the depth and the height to

677
00:43:33,950 –> 00:43:39,550
know the agape of Christ, which
passes knowledge that you may be

678
00:43:39,550 –> 00:43:41,750
filled with all the fullness of
God.

679
00:43:41,750 –> 00:43:44,350
Yes, brothers and sisters, we
find ourselves on a firm

680
00:43:44,350 –> 00:43:46,790
foundation when we know the
agape love of Christ.

681
00:43:48,910 –> 00:43:51,670
And so, as we come to the
memorial table, as we come to

682
00:43:51,670 –> 00:43:53,950
the table to remember the
sacrifice of our Savior, we are

683
00:43:53,950 –> 00:43:58,650
doing just that, having an
encounter with the agape love of

684
00:43:58,650 –> 00:44:01,370
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Aren’t we who died that we might

685
00:44:01,370 –> 00:44:04,050
find our eternal strength and
security in Him?

686
00:44:04,410 –> 00:44:06,450
Just listen to Jesus’s own words
here.

687
00:44:06,650 –> 00:44:08,930
He says this about our eternal
security.

688
00:44:09,250 –> 00:44:13,410
My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me,

689
00:44:13,970 –> 00:44:18,250
and I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish.

690
00:44:18,730 –> 00:44:21,850
Neither shall anyone snatch them
out of my hand.

691
00:44:23,100 –> 00:44:26,460
My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all, and no

692
00:44:26,460 –> 00:44:30,260
one is able to snatch them out
of my father’s hand.

693
00:44:30,500 –> 00:44:35,540
What a picture from the Lord
Jesus of our eternal security.

694
00:44:35,820 –> 00:44:38,700
Nothing.
No one will snatch us out of his

695
00:44:38,700 –> 00:44:41,820
hand.
So as we come to the emblems,

696
00:44:41,820 –> 00:44:46,740
then brothers and sisters, may
we set aside our own trials and

697
00:44:46,740 –> 00:44:52,730
suffering, which last for just a
short time, and they pale in

698
00:44:52,730 –> 00:44:55,290
insignificance compared to the
sufferings of the Lord Jesus

699
00:44:55,290 –> 00:45:01,010
Christ.
And may we submit under the

700
00:45:01,010 –> 00:45:05,170
mighty hand of God, and may we
let the God of all grace

701
00:45:05,170 –> 00:45:09,530
himself, step in and go to work
in our lives.

702
00:45:09,530 –> 00:45:14,170
For God says, bring me your
brokenness, bring me your

703
00:45:14,170 –> 00:45:19,490
emptiness, bring me your
loneliness, and I can put you

704
00:45:19,490 –> 00:45:23,310
back together again.
For He restores us brothers and

705
00:45:23,310 –> 00:45:26,990
sisters.
He provides us with the support

706
00:45:26,990 –> 00:45:30,470
so that we won’t fall over.
He gives us the inner strength

707
00:45:30,470 –> 00:45:34,350
so that we won’t collapse.
And He provides us with a firm

708
00:45:34,350 –> 00:45:39,150
foundation on which we can stand
so that we won’t be blown away.

709
00:45:40,550 –> 00:45:44,310
It is no wonder that Peter
culminates as a pistol with

710
00:45:44,310 –> 00:45:46,630
words of praise.
At the very end of chapter five,

711
00:45:46,630 –> 00:45:50,400
he says in verse 11, to him be
the glory and the dominion

712
00:45:50,400 –> 00:45:53,440
forever and ever.
Amen.

713
00:45:54,760 –> 00:45:58,640
And that’s when we notice one
more thing, that this is not

714
00:45:58,640 –> 00:46:04,320
just an excitation by Peter,
this is also a prayer by Peter

715
00:46:04,880 –> 00:46:07,600
for all of those in Christ
everywhere.

716
00:46:08,600 –> 00:46:11,360
Amen.
So be it.

717
00:46:12,240 –> 00:46:17,600
But if you look in the lexicon,
it says trustworthy, surely.

718
00:46:19,440 –> 00:46:20,720
Amen.
Indeed.

719
00:46:21,280 –> 00:46:26,160
What confidence, what strength,
what security is this, brothers

720
00:46:26,160 –> 00:46:30,080
and sisters, that the Lord God,
the God of all grace, cares for

721
00:46:30,080 –> 00:46:35,480
you and he cares for me so much
so that he gave his only Son.

722
00:46:37,080 –> 00:46:40,720
And who himself can do these
great things in my life and in

723
00:46:40,720 –> 00:46:43,440
yours?
When we stop and think about

724
00:46:43,440 –> 00:46:47,090
what Peter is telling us, we’re
really left in a state of

725
00:46:47,090 –> 00:46:50,690
profound wonder.
That our God is a God of all

726
00:46:50,690 –> 00:46:56,250
grace, and that he and his Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, love us

727
00:46:57,250 –> 00:47:02,730
and care for us so completely,
so securely.

728
00:47:04,370 –> 00:47:22,090
Amen indeed.
Thank you for listening to the

729
00:47:22,090 –> 00:47:23,810
good Christadelphian Talks
Podcast.

730
00:47:24,610 –> 00:47:26,530
We hope this talk helped you in
your walk.

731
00:47:27,050 –> 00:47:29,410
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00:47:29,410 –> 00:47:32,290
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733
00:47:32,290 –> 00:47:34,930
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00:47:34,930 –> 00:47:37,690
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00:47:37,690 –> 00:47:40,210
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736
00:47:40,210 –> 00:47:42,930
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737
00:47:42,930 –> 00:47:47,370
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738
00:47:47,370 –> 00:47:49,770
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739
00:47:50,990 –> 00:47:53,350
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00:47:53,350 –> 00:47:56,150
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742
00:48:01,030 –> 00:48:04,270
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743
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746
00:48:12,990 –> 00:48:15,230
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747
00:48:16,150 –> 00:48:18,950
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748
00:48:18,950 –> 00:48:19,230
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