Wednesday Night Bible Study
by Nathan Whitley
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: Bible study
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-7, Psalm 136, Luke 6:38, James 2:13, 1 Peter 1:23, John 3:5-6, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:47-48, 1 Peter 3:21, 1 Peter 1:2, 1 Peter 3:15, James 1:2-3, 1 John 2:1, 1 John 1:9

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nathan-whitley--wednesday-night-bible-study-12
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Thank you for your giving. Praise the Lord everyone. >> What a great great honor we have and privilege to be able to study uh the word of the Lord together and all the announcements, all the things uh coming up. We are anticipating uh a great camp meeting beginning one week from tonight and we're excited about that. It's going to be a great time. I know we're going to hear from the word of the Lord uh from Pastor Vosquez at night and our day services on Thursday morning and Friday morning. It's going to be a great time. Go with me to First Peter. First Peter. We're going to look at the first chapter. Uh a couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach on the accent of hope and we looked at first Peter chapter number three and verse number 15. We're going to read that again here in just a moment. Uh but I want to go back a little bit in this letter and I want to look at the kindling of hope. The kindling of hope. Uh this is uh the fuel. This is uh what we need for the reason for our hope. So we're going to look at first Peter chapter number one and we're going to begin reading at verse number three. 1 Peter chapter number one and we're going to begin reading at verse number three. Peter writes, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively or a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith. faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time or the last days. Verse six, wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Tonight we're going to look at the kindling of hope. The kindling of hope. Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you for your word, your inspired, infallible, inherent word, Lord, that it is a light unto our feet. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, God. It is the living word. And I pray, Lord, that you would help us to have understanding of your word. help me your your vessel tonight to teach with clarity and let there be understanding oh God in spite of the the frailty of your messenger in Jesus name we pray and everyone said amen >> the kindling of hope now I've mentioned this before I think uh we had a couple of wood stoves in our house we had one in the basement of our house and then we had one uh in our detached garage and so talked about that before. Those might anybody ever have a wood stove in your house? A real wood I'm not talking about an electric wood. You had to put real wood in there, you know, not fake wood that just lights up, you know. We had real we had real wood stove and it was that big black uh stove and we used it for for those winter months in my my childhood and and we had one the the detached garage too. When I got a little bit older, he'd bring firewood in and my my dad would let me help him start the the fire and, you know, we'd take, you know, newspaper, something, and we'd light it, and then you'd have it the wood in there, and you'd kind of get it started. You'd have to take some kind of, you know, fire starter of some sort, and uh kind of get it going. It's kindling. You'd have a stick or a twig or something kind of get things started. And then what I enjoy the I loved that part. Uh, but I really enjoy when the fire started to go down a little bit. You'd throw an extra, you know, wood on on the fire and it blaze up again. Now, it was blessed hot. I'm talking about blessed hot in that basement. We where we had I mean, it was just there's no controlling. You're either just you're hot or you're outside getting cooled down snow, you know, and u and that was I'm hot. That's I think that's a lot of the reason why I'm so hot in nature and I have to sleep with the fan and keep the the room as cool as I possibly can is all that heat. But the kindling, right? Kindling. You have something to kind of get that fire going. Now, a couple weeks ago, I I we we looked at First Peter chapter 3 and verse number 15, where Peter says, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone that askketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." So these believers that Peter is writing to are facing suffering, trials, temptations. Most of it is localized. Uh something happening in families in the cities that they're living in, the areas that they are being that they are not living like the rest of the world around them. And he calls them exiles. And he calls them um strangers and sojjoers that they are living as a people in the world even though they're not of the world. And they're facing this persecution because their conduct, their lifestyle is unlike everybody else. So it's strange to the world around them. They're to live differently than the world around them. They're facing all this pressure. And then he even um says that you know in in chapter 4 that this fiery trial that will come and it will be a um an empirewide persecution that will come upon uh Christians in the in the in the future and it will be part of what uh takes Peter's life as a martyr for Christ. And so as they are living as strangers in the world and their conduct is to be that um that is holy and godly and righteous that the people who could be persecuting them those who are those who call them strange may ask them what's the reason for your hope? How are you living this way? What what gives you this joy? What gives you this happiness? What gives you this hope? Give me give me a reason for the hope that's in you. And we talked about how our hope our faith is a logical and a reasonable faith. Now what I mean by that is that God uh has given us truth that we can proclaim that we can believe that we have. This is not our faith is not a blind faith. You know, we get accused. Christians get accused. Oh, you're just you live in you you believe this mythical faith. It takes blind faith to believe this. Our our faith is rooted in the revealed word of God in historical things that have taken place that we have a logical that we can make a defense. We looked at that word defense, give an answer or a defense. And we took we looked at the word apologetics which comes from that word uh answer which means uh is from the Greek apologia which to be uh to give an apology. Now we it's not an apology of I'm sorry I believe this way. I'm sorry that I I I think this way. That's not what he's saying. He's saying you're giving a defense. It's a something that you would do as in uh as a witness in a trial or a courtroom setting. You're giving a reason for the hope that was that's what that's that's within you. So it's a reasonable logical faith that we have. But what gives us the fuel for that? What is the kindling of that hope? What is the basis of that hope? And I believe that Peter gives us this kindling for our hope in this very dense section at the very beginning of this letter. And it is from this that he will build the rest of his arguments for our living hope. So I'm going to give you a few of these that are in this section that we read from verses 3 through 7. And the media team is going to help me here. I've got these lined up. So I want you to see them as a little outline. Here we go. Right here in the middle. Now, you do not have to be a scholar or a theologian to be a witness. Now, I preached a strong tower. You are a theologian. And yes, we all are. No matter what we think or might not think. We are all uh theologians. Either you're a good one or a bad one, but you're you're one no matter what. However, you don't have to have a master's degree or a doctorate to give a defense for your faith. When someone asks you for the reason of your hope, here it is right here. This is something that you can take. This is a great outline to be a an evangelistic tool to give a Bible study. If you can get these things in your spirit and in your heart and in your mind, these are things that you can immediately draw from to tell someone for the reason of your hope. Not only that, it is kindling for your own hope. It's a kindling for your own faith that when you uh are are struggling or you're facing circumstances beyond your control, you need hope, right? That you need something to draw on and it's not your feelings. It's not your your your emotions because those things are very fickle, right? So, you have to be able to draw from something and this is it. So, here's it. And I can share this with you at some point if you'd like it, but here it is. If you want to take a picture of it or something here, but it's again, it's all in your Bible, but um it's verses 3 through 7. I just pulled these out here. The kindling of our hope, God's great mercy. He caused us to be born again. He gives us a living hope. It's based upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He gives us an eternal inheritance. And in his sovereignty, he uses tests and trials to fortify our faith. Our salvation, even though it is present, has a future hope. All of which will bring praise, glory, and honor to Jesus Christ. That is an evangelistic tool. Someone says, "Why do you believe?" Now, we're not giving him a thesis on our doctrine, the apostolic doctrine. Why do why do you have hope? God's great mercy. I'm born again. He gave me a living hope. It's based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, an historical event that took place. He gives us an eternal inheritance. And in his sovereignty, he uses the test and the trials that I face and go through to fortify him. My faith and our salvation is not just present. It has a future hope. All of which will bring glory, honor, and praise to Jesus Christ. If you can get that in your spirit, you're going to be a witness. If you can get that in your spirit, you're going to have a living hope. And not only that, this is fuel for prayer. This is fuel for praise. Brother N. I don't know what to say when I pray right here. Thank God for your mercy. >> Thank God that I've been born again. Thank God for a living hope. I I have nothing to God. I don't have anything to say in prayer. I got you an outline right here. Thank you for living hope. Thank you for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Lord. Thank you for my in eternal inheritance. What do you say? Do how do you worship? Thank God for his mercy. Thank God that I've been born again. Thank God for this living hope. I I'm TELLING THIS IS FUEL. THIS IS KINDLING. I want to help you. I want to help you tonight. We're going to go through these. Can I do it in 40 minutes? Let's see. Timer start. 40 minutes. You got it? You ready? Number one, God's great mercy. Look at verse three. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy. Other translations say great mercy. God is merciful by nature. This is one of his attributes his characteristics that he is merciful. Not that he has just shown mercy but that he is merciful. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. It is God withholding the judgment and punishment our sin earns us. Mercy is found in both the Old and the New Testaments. When people say this, I like the God of the New Testament. I don't like the God of the Old Testament. Brothers and sisters, it's the same God. >> He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is merciful and gracious in the New Testament, but he is merciful and gracious in the Old Testament. You just need to read the whole thing. >> He's merciful. It it it's mercy. When when when Moses asked the Lord, "Show me your glory." When he's on the mountain, he says, "Show me your glory." This is what the Lord said. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. That is God's declaration of himself. Grace and mercy. I want to see your glory. His glory is manifest in his graciousness and his mercy. If you want to see God's glory in the earth, it's his it's in his grace and in his it's his it's his very being. God, show me your glory. Grace and mercy. If you have if you have received that grace and mercy in your life, you have beheld his glory. God is most glorious when he is extending grace and mercy to those who don't deserve it. >> And not just not just ordinary kindness, not just Peter doesn't say it's just his ordinary mercy. He say it's abundant. What does abundant mean? Don't overlook these little words when you're reading your Bible. Great. Abundant. It means it's manifold. It's great in quantity. For the psalmist says in Psalm 136, for his mercy endures forever. >> It's by his mercies that were not consumed. His mercy is new EVERY MORNING. JUST WHEN YOU THINK GOD'S mercy's ran out, it's coming again tomorrow morning. My God, I feel him right now. Just when you think you've ran out of mercy, he said, "I got some more coming." for his mercy endures. So I think we SHOULD GIVE HIM SOME PRAISE RIGHT NOW THAT HE'S GIVEN US NOT a little MERCY BUT ABUNDANCE ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT. THANK GOD FOR HIS MERCY. >> HIS HE'S GRACIOUS. HE WANTS TO SHOW mercy to us WHEN WE DON'T DESERVE IT. MERCY. When we should have received judgment, we got grace. And this is the SPARK THAT STARTS IT ALL. ACCORDING to his abundant mercy. And this is amazing is that THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED mercy are to show mercy. Those who have received grace are to give grace. Luke 6:38, "Give and it will be given unto you. Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over will it be given unto you. For with the measure that you use it, it will be measured back to you." Now, we use this as a principle for giving, right? We use this as a principle for giving. But in the context of what Jesus says in Luke 6, the context is mercy. We would rather give money than mercy. >> It's easier to give money than it is to give mercy. >> Come on now, somebody. They said, now the principle is true. Give and it will be given unto you. But in God's economy, mercy must be given. If you have received mercy, you must GIVE MERCY. IF YOU HAVE re James says that mercy triumphs OVER JUDGMENT, YOU KNOW WHAT wins in God's kingdom is when we act like God in being merciful to those WHO DON'T DESERVE MERCY. WHEN SOMEBODY HAS WRONGED YOU, WHEN SOMEBODY HAS SAID SOMETHING BAD ABOUT you or to you and you can say, "I've been forgiven and according to his abundant mercy, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU MERCY AS WELL." THAT'S BEING LIKE CRY. MY LORD, I wish somebody was hearing ME RIGHT NOW. ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT MERCY. WHAT'S THE REASON FOR YOUR HOPE? WHY ARE YOU BEING SO MERCIFUL? IT'S ACCORDING TO HIS ABUNDANT MERCY THAT I'M HERE right now. >> Somebody clap your hands under the Lord. >> 30 minutes. 35. All right. Doing good. According to his Isn't this Isn't this amazing? This book. Isn't this a I am I'm I'm I'm I'm amazed at this book at how relevant it is to our lives. According to his abundant mercy hath begotten us, look at this word again. Other English translations say born again, right? Born again. This is new life. God didn't simply put a patch on the old life. He caused us by his abundant mercy to cause us to be born again. Now, now Peter's going to reference being born again in verse number 23. Let me read that to you. being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Bible study students, go highlight all of the adjectives in First Peter. Sister Sandy, go highlight all of the adjectives in I mean there Peter uses so many adjectives in THIS LETTER. WHY? WHY? What is he trying to describe? He's trying to describe what he has experienced that you've been born again not of corruptable seed but of an incorruptible the word of God. Now this phrase born again some are you a born again Christian? There's no other kind. >> I'm a born again Christian. Yes, that's redundant. You're a Christian Christian. If you've not been born again, you're not a Christian. Being a I I'm as Christian. I'm I'm from the South. I know where I'm at right now. Christianity is on the same level as SEC football. ICE T. Come on now. Listen, you can claim a lot of things, but in order for you to claim to be a Christian, you got to be born again. >> Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter number three, he tells this religious Jew, this teacher of the law, you must be born again. Notice that the first time that this message is preached, it's preached to a person who thinks he's saved based upon who his family is. Jesus does not tell a prostitute you must be born again. He doesn't tell an alcoholic you must be born again. The first time he says this is to a religious person telling us that no matter who you are or who you think you are, you must be born again. >> Someone asked the great American evangelist George Whitfield, "Why do you keep preaching you must be born again?" George Whitfield said, "BECAUSE YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN." I'm telling you, this message cannot get old to us. THIS IS THE MESSAGE THAT YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. AND JESUS SAID, "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN OF THE WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT." >> Some would say water IS NATURAL BIRTH. BUT THAT CANNOT BE SO WHEN NICODEMUS SAID, "How can I, being old, enter into MY MOTHER'S WOMB A SECOND TIME?" JESUS SAID THAT WHICH IS BORN OF flesh is flesh but THAT WHICH IS BORN OF SPIRIT IS SPIRIT. SO YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN OF THE WATER WHICH IS BAPTISM IN the name OF JESUS CHRIST WHICH WHICH PETER WILL SAY IN CHAPTER NUMBER THREE THAT BAPTISM NOW SAVES YOU. >> THAT'S WHAT HE SAYS THAT BAPTISM SAVES YOU. Jesus said in MARK CHAPTER NUMBER 16 HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED. HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT SHALL BE DAMNED. YOU MUST BE WATERBAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS. WHEN PETER GOT UP ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST, THEY SAID, "MEN AND BRETHREN, WHAT SHALL WE DO?" AND PETER STOOD UP AND SAID, "YOU MUST REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED every >> who's everyone. every one of you in the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF S. WHY? BECAUSE PETER KNEW THAT THE way that you get born again is by believing in Jesus, repenting of your sins, BEING BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF Jesus Christ, and being filled with the Holy Ghost. >> And there are those I'm not I got 30 minutes. EVERY THERE'S THERE'S SOME people who will say this, well that was just for the Jews on Pentecost. ON THE CONTRARY, ACTS CHAPTER NUMBER EIGHT, THAT SAME PETER GOES TO THE SAMARITANS. >> THEY'VE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST, but they've not been baptized. If Come on now. If it was not necessary, why did they call Peter to come baptize him? >> If it WAS NOT NECESSARY, WHY DID they have to go ALL THE WAY OVER THERE to Samaritans who were half Jew, half Gentile? And if the if it was only for the Jews to be baptized in the name OF JESUS CHRIST, WHY WERE THESE Samaritans who had received the Holy Ghost being baptized just as much as the JEWS WERE? BECAUSE IS NECESSARY to be born again to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. >> You all right? >> That same Peter who WAS AT JERUSALEM, WHO WAS WITH THE SAMARITANS, is now at Cornelius's house, a Gentile. We're calling for you to tell us what we should do. We're Gentiles. YOU'RE A JEW. WHAT SHOULD WE DO? SHOULD WE DO SOMETHING different than the Jews and the Samaritans? AND PETER SAID, LORD, NO. LET ME PREACH JESUS unto you. And as he preaches JESUS UNTO THEM, THE HOLY Ghost falls upon them. AND THEY HEAR THEM SPEAK WITH TONGUES. AND PETER, WHO WAS AT JERUSALEM, WHO WAS WITH THE SAMARITANS, WHO IS NOW WITH THE GENTILES, SAID, "CAN ANY MAN FORBID WATER THAT THESE TWO MIGHT BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST?" AND THEY WERE BAPTIZED. I'M TELLING YOU, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN OF THE WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT. >> It's for everyone. >> Come on, somebody. And Peter says, let me just read it to you. The like figure where unto even baptism DOTH ALSO NOW SAVE US, NOT THE PUTTING AWAY OF THE FILTH OF THE FLESH. That water that is up there is not washing away physical sins. Okay? Just water. You can get baptized here. You can get baptized in a horse trough. WHAT MATTERS is is there water and are you immersed and is the name of Jesus Christ being pronounced over that? But he says it's not a putting away of dirt or filth. He said it's for a good conscience toward God. Therefore, it's an inner thing that's taking place that baptism saves us as a one. That that is word water in there. NO, BROTHER NATE, THAT'S KUB. IT'S NO, it's word water. You want to know why it's word water? BECAUSE WHEN YOU OBEY THE WORD OF GOD, SOMETHING TAKES PLACE in there by faith. My God, THAT WE ARE BURIED WITH CHRIST in baptism. YOU MUST WHY ARE YOU PREACHING THIS ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT? CUZ YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. >> YOU MUST BE B I'VE BEEN BORN. ARE ANYBODY BEEN BORN again in here tonight? Anybody? I'm glad I was buried in the name of the Lord. I'm glad that I WAS BURIED. COME ON, SOMEBODY. I'M GLAD THAT I WAS BURIED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF my sins. >> And you MUST HAVE THE HOLY GHOST. >> Peter says that he sanctifies us by the spirit. The spirit cannot sanctify you unless you have the spirit in you. You are in Christ. When Christ gets in you by his abundant mercy, he has caused us to be born again. He says, I just read it that the word of God, the word of God causes us to be born again. What does that mean? Faith comes by hearing. We have to have preaching. We need preaching. And we need teaching because preaching the word of God, whether it's in a Bible study or a setting like this or on Sunday or next week at tri-state camp meeting, when preaching goes forth, the inspired word of God goes forth by God's word, it hits your ear and it hits your heart. Faith is produced in you. But that faith always produces obedience. You hearing me? That's what he says here in verse number two through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience that the spirit and the word hits you hits your heart and it causes you to put your faith it BREAKS UP THE FOW GROUND of your heart there's two responses hear me there's two responses to the word of God faith which leads to obedience or it is a hardening of your heart. Hear me? The same word that goes forth in this room or anywhere else can cause one to put their faith and repent and get baptized and receive the Holy Ghost and cause another to harden their heart. the word. Listen, Jesus told us the the the parable of the good ground. Wayside, right? Wayside. Good ground. The issue is never the word. The issue is always the heart. But we keep preaching anyway, right? We keep preaching anyway. You never know who will respond to the word of the Lord. Going super slow. Got hung up on that. Gave us the living hope. Go to the next one. Caused us to be born again according to his abundant mercy. Caused us. Let me stop on that word caused. You did not cause yourself to be born the first place. You hear me? Just as you did not cause yourself to be born the first time, it is through Christ through his work that he causes us to be born again and gave us a living hope. I talked about this last week. Hope is not wishful thinking. We've seen Adidas put out all the new all the new uniforms for UT and it is stirring up all kinds of wishful thinking. how Laval is going to do in football this year. I hope they're going to win it. That's wishful thinking. Now, if you're an Indiana football fan, I know that's a different story. Can you believe that? It is. I'm telling you, it must be the last days. It must be the last days that Indiana football won a national championship. But it it stirs up hope, right? Maybe just for me. I hope there that's not that's not that's wishful thinking. A living hope goes beyond wishful thinking. I hope I make it. That's not faith. I I hope I hope we have revival. That's not faith. Living hope is not A DEAD HOPE. DEAD HOPE is a contradiction. THERE'S NO SUCH THING. But we have been given a LIVING HOPE THAT GOES BEYOND SIMPLE circumstances and trials and all the things that we go through and say, "I'M LIVING FOR A BETTER WORLD THAN THIS. THAT HE'S COMING AGAIN. THAT IF HE SAVED ME, he's going to keep me SAVED AND HE'S GOING TO SAVE ME AT the end." IT'S A HOPE. IT'S A FUTURE HOPE. IT'S FORWARDLOOKING. If people are going to ask us about our hope, we need to make sure that we're living hopeful. >> Too many of us don't have a living hope. We don't even delight in the things of God. We let circumstance and that's life. We let circumstance rob us of our hope. Instead, we have to let our hope influence our circumstance. that no matter what's coming my way or what I'm going through or what I've gone through, Christ is still good. >> He caused me to be born again according to his abundant mercy. I've got a living hope. And this HOPE IS ESPECIALLY PRECIOUS FOR THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING. The saint facing persecution for their faith. The believer with the critical diagnosis. The one who's lost a spouse or a loved one. IN THOSE DARK MOMENTS, WHAT IS OUR HOPE? WHAT IS OUR HOPE? IT'S NOT THAT everything is going to be easy in this life. IT IS THAT THAT THIS LIFE IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. >> THAT'S HOPE. THAT THIS IS JUST A CHAPTER. THERE'S SOMETHING BEYOND TODAY. THERE'S SOMETHING BEYOND MY CIRCUMSTANCE. THERE'S SOMETHING BEYOND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. That this is beyond this is BIGGER THAN ME. >> THAT'S HOPE. I HAVE HOPE BECAUSE I KNOW WHO HOLDS MY TODAY AND WHO HOLDS MY TOMORROW. >> IT'S A living hope. And what is that hope based upon? Go to the next one. This is important. This is not They didn't just preach the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter. >> I'm afraid we have compartmentalized the resurrection to one day A YEAR. WHAT GOT THEM THROWN INTO PRISONS? What got them persecuted? What got them martyed was not simply preaching you must be born again. It was that Jesus Christ was dead and is now alive. >> That is THE BASIS. PAUL SAID IF CHRIST is not alive, our hope IS DEAD. IT'S FEUDAL. WE ARE OF MEN MOST MISERABLE. BUT IF HE IS ALIVE, if he is alive, if he conquered death, that means he's conquered sin. And that MEANS HE CAN CAUSE ME TO LIVE AGAIN. My God, I feel HIM RIGHT NOW. I'M TELLING YOU, THIS IS THE BASIS OF THE GOSPEL. >> It's the CENTER OF THIS SECTION, EVERYTHING. This is the CENTER OF IT ALL. THAT THIS IS THE BASIS OF THE GOSPEL THAT JESUS Christ is alive. We can't we can't relegate that to just one one day a year. We need it. Why? Because if he conquered death, we have hope for Sister Eve today. >> We have hope for David Farmer today. >> WE HAVE WHY? WE HAVE HOPE FOR BRANDON. WHY? BECAUSE IF CHRIST CONQUERED DEATH, >> IF CHRIST CONQUERED DEATH, THAT MEANS HE ALSO CONQUERED SIN. AND IF HE CONQUERED SIN AND HE CONQUERED DEATH, THAT MEANS THIS IS NOT the end for me. That I can Oh my God have mercy. THAT I THIS THIS IS TEMPORARY. WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH IS CIRCUMSTANTIAL, BUT I'VE GOT A HOPE OF SOMETHING BEYOND TODAY. THAT MY GOD IS ALIVE. That's my hope. It's the resurre because he lives. I can face tomorrow because he LIVES. OUR TRIALS have meaning because he lives. WE HAVE HOPE THAT THE WORLD CANNOT TAKE AWAY. We need to get that in our spirit. Get that in our spirit. That death is not separating us. It is simply the bridge to our inheritance. Go to the next one. He gave us an eternal inheritance. Sal. Listen to me, brothers and sisters. Salvation is not just past and present. Okay? I got the Holy Ghost at camp when I was 10 years old or I I got baptized when I was this age, all these years. And we have a past salvation. Well, I'm saved right now. And this is I'm living for the Lord. I'm persevering and I'm living faithfully and I'm letting I'm letting my belief influence my behavior. I just a present tense salvation. We can't listen listen to me now. We can't get so caught up in the past, our past salvation. I'm thankful for that and it's important. It's history, right? in our present that we forget that there is an eternal inheritance waiting for us. >> I said it a few weeks ago, this world is not heaven. >> If there's still crying, if there's still sickness, if there's still suffering, this is not heaven. >> Let us not forget that there's a future hope for us. >> And this is I'm using some technical terms, 15 minutes. We've got justification where I was justified where I was saved, right? I was saved from my sin. I was saved from from my condemnation. I was saved and I was justified. That's that's past. Present tense is sanctification. Let let me stop and say this that when you are initially saved when you are initially saved you are positionally holy. >> Okay, you are positionally holy but in time at now listen there are some who get the Holy Ghost and I'm thinking God just hit him over the head with a hammer AND TAKE HIM RIGHT NOW. WHY? is I'm hoping hoping there's that wishful thinking that they make it. Y Okay, this just me, I guess. All right. I'm sorry. But it's positionally holy. But as you live for the Lord, he sanctifies us. So you're justified, then you're sanctified. Sanctification is the working out of God's spirit in your life. That does not mean you are perfect. Holiness is not linear. Sorry. There are highs and there are lows. But what's important is you getting back up. If we sin, we have an advocate with Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is faithful AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS. JOHN'S WRITING THAT TO BELIEVERS, saying we, he's including himself. Why? Because he KNOWS YOU ARE JUSTIFIED, BUT YOU ARE SANCTIFIED, but the future tense is that there is a glorification coming. That there is a day coming THAT I'M GOING TO PUT OFF THIS OLD MAN. I'M GOING TO PUT OFF THIS OLD LUCK. COME ON, SOMEBODY. AND I'M GOING TO RECEIVE my inter eternal inheritance. What is an inheritance? Something that you do not work for. You do not earn. It is given. We are partakers. We have obtained an an inheritance. We are heirs with God and fellowairs with Christ. meaning that you are a part of the family of God where he is your father. He says that in verse number one blessed be our God and father, right? That he is our father. So when you are born again, this is listen to me. It's way important. This is way important that man I'm feeling him tonight. I want you to understand the the greatness of our salvation. >> Sometimes we think we we think so small about our salvation. Well, I got baptized. I'm so glad. Well, I got the Holy Ghost. I'm Thank the Lord. But do you know who's you are now? Do you know what that's a part of? So, can I tell you a funny story? So, 13 minutes. I got baptized. I think I was like what, eight, seven, I got baptized in Jesus name. Took me a few years to get the Holy Ghost. And I'd go just to, you know, just you'd go pray and it just wouldn't happen. It's frustrating. Why? Why? Why can't I get it? Why can't I get it? I want I want the Holy Ghost so bad. I wanted the Holy Ghost so bad. Now, you start to feel shame like going up there. Why? Here I go. I'm gonna go up here. I'm not going to get it. Well, it was back in back in the 80s or I guess it was the 90s. We had church on Tuesday and Tuesday night was youth service and then Thursday night was Bible study and then we had uh Sunday morning and Sunday night. Well, Tuesday night was youth service. And um I I I I didn't have the Holy Ghost. So if I didn't have the Holy Ghost, I couldn't play drums at church. Okay? I couldn't play drums at church unless you have the Holy Ghost. Those were the rules. Okay? And so I was you could sing in the choir. You can sing in the youth choir, but here's here's the you know, here's the next phase, right? Tuesday night, mom was at work at J. C. Penney. The choir sang I think we sang Catch on Fire or something like that. One of those 90s hits, man. The Holy Ghost was moving. I came off off the platform and people were at the altar on a Tuesday night. Can you believe that? on a Tuesday night, people in the altar worshiping and all that. And I walk up there, I'm thinking, "Oh, here we go. I'm not going to get it. I'm not going to get it. I'm not going to get it. I'm not going to get it." And I got to my seat. I got to about the second row and I thought, "Man, I'm feeling something tonight. I'm feeling I feel like catching on fire tonight, man." I lifted up my hands and here come all my Sunday school teachers. I mean, all my Sunday school teachers, they knew this guy needs the Holy Ghost. I mean, so they all gathered around and started praying with me. And man, the Holy Ghost hit me. I'm telling you, I began to speak with another tongue. I would man I'm telling I got I got it. I got I got the whole thing. So man oh man I'm telling you it was exciting. And here comes my my best friend in the entire world. He comes up. HE GOES NATE YOU CAN PLAY DRUMS IN THE BIG CHURCH NOW. I'M LIKE ABSOLUTELY PRAISE GOD. YOU KNOW THAT'S SOMETIMES THAT WHAT THAT'S WHAT WE THINK. BUT IT'S SO MUCH BIGGER THAN THAT. IT'S SO MUCH OUR SALVATION IS SO MUCH GREATER THAN THAT THAT WE ARE A PART OF GOD'S FAMILY THAT WE WE BECOME hes with Christ. >> You get a new nature. You get a new name. You get a new inheritance. YOU GET NEW BROTHERS AND SISTERS in Christ. >> My mom was at work. She was working at J C Penney and they had a phone. This is before cell phones. Can you believe that's how old I am? Before cell phones, I got the Holy Ghost. You can play drums now. I'm like, "Oh, praise God." I said, "I need to go call my mom." So, I'm I'm I'm going to the back where the phone is. I go get the phone. I call J C Penney. I need I need I need the kids department. They get the kids department. And this is mom's. If I call my mom right now, she'll still do this. She picks up the phone. She goes, "Oh, God, what's wrong? Oh, God, what's wrong?" I said, "Mom, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE IT. I GOT THE HOLY GHOST TONIGHT." AND I'M EXPECTING this yelp. I'm I'm expecting this praise to come through the phone. I'm expecting I'm expecting the worship to come through the the receiver of that landline. And I didn't get it because here's what my mom said. How do you know you got it? I SAID BECAUSE I SPOKE WITH OTHER TONGUES. AND THAT'S WHEN THE PRAISE CAME ON. I'M TELLING YOU SOMETHING. THIS IS A REAL THING. AND IF YOU GET THE REAL THING, IT'LL KEEP YOU. IT'LL KEEP YOU ALL THESE YEARS. I'M TELLING YOU, WE BECOME HES WITH CHRIST. WE GOT AN INHERITANCE. >> >> I'm not going to get through this, but we've got an inheritance. HE BECOMES OUR FATHER. AND IF HE IS OUR FATHER, what will he not give us? What will he not give us? He says, I'm going to prepare a place for you that where I am, there you may be also. There is an eternal. It's not just this world. It's not just the benefits of this world. There is an inheritance for us. Someone say amen. Nine minutes. All right, go to the next one. See if I can get through this one. In God's sovereignty, he uses tests and trials to fortify our faith. Let's read this. To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, the faith not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith under salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Look at verse six. wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations. A living hope is not fragile. You hear me? Living hope is not fragile. God in his sovereignty, in his decision makingaking as God uses tests and trials to fortify our faith. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. Say it again. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. James wrote in his letter, "Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds." We did that. We looked at that, I think, a few months ago. knowing that the testing of your faith produces there's a cause there's a hope with it that I'm not just suffering for suffering's sake but that suffering produces steadfastness faithfulness endurance perseverance that when God allows tests and trials, he's not doing it to punish us, he's doing it to refine us, >> to create something again. You're saved. You're being sanctified. And he uses these things to fortify your faith. I think I preached on it um the call to suffering on a Sunday night and I quoted a book from uh M. Scott Peek and he says those who avoid suffering or who try to avoid suffering end up suffering the most. And it's the avoidance of suffering that leads to a lot of mental illness. And so I want you to understand that God will you. So think of Joseph. I've been reading about Joseph. Joseph, the Bible says the writer, one of the psalmist says that God tested him until his word came to pass. That God used the betrayal. He used the prison and the pit. that Joseph was not aware of that on the other side when he reveals himself to his brothers all of a sudden he's like I now understand why I went through what I was going through is that God might preserve you all I didn't understand it at the time but God was doing something in me really for you my God have mercy that sometimes God uses things in our life to be a testimony for somebody else >> that it gives them a witness to get through what they're going through because if you can get through what you're going through. >> Look what God's done and he's going to GET ALL THE GLORY FOR IT. >> God uses these things that that he tests the genuiness. The genuiness. I WANT A GENUINE FAITH. AND SO BY fire and trial, he purifies and he takes away all of the things, the impurities in our life. That's sanctification. That's God working in you to make you more like him. That make sense? A genuine faith. A genuine faith. God's not trying to destroy your faith. He's trying to refine it. Now, I want you to stop and I want you to highlight this. I want you to highlight this. I about shouted this afternoon, wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season. Other translations, the ESV says, "A little while." You ain't hearing me. Tests and trials don't last forever. >> Weeping may endure for a night, >> but joy. >> Come on, SOMEBODY. YOU MIGHT BE GOING THROUGH SOMETHING RIGHT NOW, BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW IT'S A LITTLE WHILE. THAT THIS IS NOT GOING TO LAST. IT'S A SEASON. IT'S FOR A LITTLE WHILE. IF YOU'RE IN THE DARKNESS OF YOUR SOUL RIGHT NOW, MORNING'S GOING TO COME. SUMMER'S GOING TO COME. SPRINGTIME'S GOING TO COME. YOU MIGHT BE IN THE WINTER TIME OF YOUR SOUL. IT MIGHT BE FOR A LITTLE WHILE, BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW IT'S NOT GOING TO BE FOREVER. [groaning and screaming] >> STAND to your feet tonight. It's not going to be forever. >> YOU NEED TO LOOK AT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE and say, "You have you've got a due date." >> Some of y'all need to look at your situation and say, "You've got a due date. >> I don't know when it is, BUT IT'S COMING. I'M NOT GOING TO FEEL LIKE THIS FOREVER. ONE OF THESE DAY MY JOY IS GOING TO COME BACK AND MY PEACE IS GOING TO COME BACK AND MY SHOUT IS GOING TO COME BACK AND MY PRAISE IS GOING TO COME back >> a little while a season. >> For everything there is a season. It doesn't Nighttime doesn't last forever. Winter does not last forever. Thank the Lord. Come on, somebody. I'm go to the next one real quick. I got three minutes. Our salvation has a future hope. The the revealing of Christ, he says that the revelation or the manifestation of Christ, John uses that in his letters as well. And of course, he uses it the last book of the Bible, the revelation of Jesus Christ. That Peter believed that this was the last day. When the Holy Ghost was poured out, he believed that this was the last day because he quoted Joel and said in the last days, God will pour out his spirit. That the last day, this is it. The last days aren't coming. They're here. and they've been here for 2,000 years. And if they were asking where is the sign of his coming and Peter addresses that in his next letter. If they were asking that 2,000 years ago, we must be getting real close. But we have a hope that he is coming. Let's not for let's not leave the let's not leave the second coming out of our theology. Apostolic doctrine includes the second coming of Jesus Christ. >> Come on, somebody. We need to listen. We don't need to relegate the resurrection to Easter. We also need don't need to re to relegate the second coming to a prophecy conference. >> That's right. >> Every day we should be looking for the Lord coming back. >> Every day. That's our hope. He's coming back. He's coming back. He's coming back. Last one. Last one. Last one. One minute. My Lord have mercy. All of which will bring praise, glory, and honor to Jesus Christ. He says this, "That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." All of this, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH, EVERYTHING THAT HE'S DONE, now give me that last give me that that list all the WAY THROUGH AGAIN. ALL OF THAT, all of this, his great mercy, us being born again, the living hope within us, the resurrection of Jesus, THE ETERNAL INHERITANCE, GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY IN OUR tests and trials to fortify our faith, OUR SALVATION, WHICH HAS A FUTURE HOPE. ALL OF WHICH will bring praise, glory, and honor to Jesus Christ. ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS THAT we sing here is I don't know the name of it, but it says, "You get the glory. You get the glory." Why? He's going to get the glory no matter what. One of these days, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. BUT TO THOSE WHO ARE REDEEMED, TO THOSE WHO'VE BEEN BORN AGAIN according to his great mercy, to those of us who have a living hope, to those of US WHO'VE HAD OUR FAITH TESTED AND TRIED TO FORTIFY OUR FAITH, ALL OF THIS, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH is to bring him glory and honor and praise. So, WE WON'T JUST BOW DOWN and confess out of duty and obligation. WE WILL BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP BECAUSE HE IS GOD AND HE'S WORTHY OF IT ALL. HE WILL GET THE BY GOD. I WISH SOMEBODY WOULD GIVE HIM PRAISE RIGHT NOW. WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL HE COMES BACK. WE CAN GIVE HIM PRAISE RIGHT NOW. ALL OF WHAT YOU'VE GONE THROUGH, ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH IS going to bring him glory. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the living word of God. We thank you for your abundant mercy. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT MERCY, your manifold MERCY THAT CAUSED us to be born again unto a living hope. GOD, WE THANK YOU for the resurrection that you conquered death in our life and you conquered sin in our life and you conquered death for once and for all. We thank you, God, that you can work things out through tests and trials, things that we're going through, things that we've been through, things that we might go through. THAT GOD IN YOUR SOVEREIGNTY, YOU'RE WORKING ALL THINGS OUT FOR OUR good and you're doing it so we can be made more into your image. And one of these days, oh God, we are going to receive that great inheritance that you are preparing for us, that you're preserving for us, that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. But God, one of these days you're going to receive all the glory, all the honor, and all of the praise in the mighty name of Jesus.