The Word is Alive

ReCAST Church of Mattawan

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Welcome to the podcast of Recast Church in Madawan, Michigan This is a message from Pastor Don Filsack from the series

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Ready for the Storm on 1st Peter. If you'd like more information on Recast Church, please visit us on the web at www .recastchurch

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.com Here's Pastor Don Well, good morning, welcome to Recast Church.

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I'm Don Filsack. I'm the lead pastor here And if you can find your seats, that would be great. I Gather together as God's people and when

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I say it's a privilege I mean that it hasn't always been this way It hasn't always been that we are as God's people have been able to gather together in a public forum like this

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If you think about where we're sitting and where we're meeting right now. We're meeting in a public school with the freedom of religion to express praise and glory to God here in this public setting

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Without fear that the police are going to break in and break it up or beat us with batons or anything

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But we are here under the awesome grace of God So I hope that as we're gathered together right from the beginning that your heart is moved with gratitude

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To God for the freedom that we have here in this country as of now to be able to gather together and to worship him to dig into his word to praise him in song this morning a

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Couple of small details as we get started as you received a connection card when you walked in There's a worship folder that that's in that worship folder has some of the different activities and events that are going on But that is not the primary way you get connected here

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The primary way is by filling out that connection card turning it into the black box back there And again, if it's your first time here with us and you fill in one of those connection cards turn it in Please take a free coffee mug back there

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Just our way of saying thanks for joining with us this morning and then any offerings that anybody would choose to give we don't pass an offering plate we desire for everybody to take that that step of Going to the black box back there and putting putting money in the envelope if you choose to and so we don't want anybody feel

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That pressure is that plate passes? We want it to be out of the abundance and overflow of gratitude for what

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God has done for you So if you choose to do that again, there's an envelope provided There's also a place to recycle those envelopes if you're not going to use that so it doesn't just end up on the floorboard of Your car or you have to throw it out on the way here

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We can reuse it next week if it you're not going to use it this time around And then remember that anything that is given that's marked expansion fund either on the envelope or on the check memo line is going to go into a

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Specific account with the goal of eventually building a building on the property that we purchased out on East McGillen So we currently own 12 acres out there free and clear

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We don't know any on that so praise God for that but at this point we are in the process of raising the money to Take it down to actually breaking ground out there on a new facility.

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So with all that we're gonna we're gonna take our time kind of moving through the book of first Peter and that's where we've been and We're moving carefully through it a slower

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You're gonna notice is that I take chunks off and as you see what I'm preaching week week after week You're gonna see that they're a little bit smaller than what you're used to But at the same time they're just they're so meaty and dense

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There's so much packed in to the letter of first Peter for us And we are smack dab in the middle of Peter his opening chapter providing encouragement to those who are feeling like exiles

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Those who are feeling like the world around them is starting to press in a little bit those who are

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Recognizing that the world is not always the friend of the follower of Jesus Christ Have you experienced some of that already?

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You know if you read the headlines you watch the news is it is it true that the world is not always our friend?

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As a matter of fact often we're finding that it's pressing in pressing in more and more and I think all the more Reason for us to be grateful for the freedoms and show gratitude and thankfulness

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For those glimpses that we have in our culture of freedom that we still have to express our faith at this time in history,

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I Hope you're finding encouragement from first Peter in these first couple times that we've gone through and last week

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We were encouraged to reflect on the amazing and glorious salvation that God has granted to his children

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He has in Peter's words caused us to be born again to a living

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Hope and that living hope we saw last week helps us to endure trials and through those trials

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We are refined like gold in a crucible and we begin to grow in praise and honor

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To Jesus Christ that will ultimately culminate in all glory and honor going to him at his revelation in the end

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This morning in our three short verses Peter continues on in encouragement He's seeking to bring us encouragement

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And my goal is that by the end of this time together this morning that you leave here encouraged now

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We remember verse 2 you can look there in verse 2 sets the stage for this entire chapter It reads like a table of contents for chapter 1 of 1st

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Peter So look at that with me 1st Peter chapter 2 It says according to the foreknowledge of God the

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Father in the sanctification of the Spirit last week We talked about that plan of God that salvation plan from the father and this week

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We're going to be talking about that second that second statement that we are elect not just according to the plan of God the

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Father, but we are also elect in the sanctification of the

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Spirit of God this week This text is going to explain to us

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The great privilege we have and being called out as what

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I would say is the most privileged generation of believers we are a unique people in the history of the world and Even by the last statement in our text that we're gonna read here in just a moment.

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We find that even in a cosmic perspective We are privileged that even the angels long to be insiders in the things that you and I have the privilege to be insiders of So let's open to if you're not already there first Peter 1

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We're gonna read verses 10 through 12 again a short text if you don't have a Bible open in front of you

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Or you don't have an app for that or whatever and and you don't have it there Then if you could just raise your hand one of these guys will just give you a

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Bible if you if you don't have one We do want everybody to have a copy of the Word of God. And so and if you don't have one

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Take that home with you. We we have them back there on the table as well afterwards I'll follow along as I read the very words of God to us here at recast

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Church this morning Concerning this salvation The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully

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Inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories

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It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in The things that have now been announced to you through those who preach the good news to you by the

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Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which angels long to look

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Let's pray as the band comes to lead us in worship this morning Father you have been doing amazing things down through history.

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You spoke through the prophets you I mean all the way back in creation and then at the fall you

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Predicted that one would be sent who would crush the head of the serpent and on down through history you worked through your people and now

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We find ourselves here in this place where the things that they looked forward to we now look back towards and remember

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So father, I pray that you would fill us with encouragement and enthusiasm that you have brought us to this place in history as your people

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That you have not just given us a first birth, but you have allowed us to be born again to a living hope through Your power and through the work of Jesus Christ and may we rejoice this morning as we have an opportunity to sing praises to you

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Let our voices Mingle together in a way that that is glorious and majestic and is reflecting on who you are

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Father that we would worship you in spirit and in truth in our in the truth of the words that we sing

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But also in enthusiasm and joy because you have saved us. I ask this in Jesus name

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Thank you very much for the bands leading us in worship I'm very grateful for them and even for Rob being able to step in and Josh's absence this morning and Many of you it was actually rolling through the announcements, but Josh and Heidi had their baby this past week

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So praising God for that for Hudson and I'm doing well Be sure that you know that you can get comfortable whatever it takes if you need to get up at any time during the message

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There's more coffee. There's more donuts probably while supplies last There's some juice over here

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And then if you I know that those chairs might get uncomfortable So you might need to just stand up and stretch in the back.

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That's fine with me You're not going to distract me anything shy of just coming up and shouting me down. It's probably gonna be fine with me

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So but if you step out in the hallway and go to the end of the hallway to the right That's where the restrooms are down here

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I know that some of you who are familiar with the building know that there's restrooms down here We reserve those for the children's ministry So use the ones that are down here at this end of the hallway if you need to use that at any time

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Especially since we provide free coffee So Peter has gone through this with us so far and given us a pretty in -depth discussion about the plan of Salvation we talked about that last week and that that plan of salvation comes from the foreknowledge of God Really ultimately from the foreknowledge of the

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Father and that word foreknowledge there means plan So now he turns his eyes to the work of the

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Spirit in our text here this three verses first Peter 1 10 through 12 by the way

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I want you to have that open to first Peter if you have a Bible with you first Peter chapter 1 Verses 10 through 12 that you can see that that's the outline of my text.

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I don't When I preach I'm just going through books of the Bible. I'm going section by section

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I mentioned a bunch of times that really that's the way that we roll here at recast because if we were to get up if I Got up every

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Sunday and just shared what's on my heart It would be like a soapbox and you'd get the same message all the time and you get tired of that pretty quick So I like going through books of the

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Bible because it forces me to preach on the entire Thing that God wants to tell us versus just my hobby horses and my pet

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Topics and stuff so that's where we're at first Peter 1 10 through 12 most of us are aware though that as he talks about the

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Spirit in this text that there's a variety of different things that the Holy Spirit does some of you were raised in a church you attended a

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Sunday school You're raised in maybe a Christian home or whatever And so you have some notions of the different types of things that the

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Holy Spirit does From the pages of Scripture. I think we could probably come up with a pretty hefty list

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So I'll just give you a smattering of some of the things that we know the Spirit does for us the Holy Spirit Convicts us of sin right are you aware of that work of the

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Holy Spirit has he ever done that for you? Where it's kind of like you're about to do something you know is wrong

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And it's like there's that voice that just kind of says no No, you know that this is wrong You know this is an offense to God and so sometimes the

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Holy Spirit convicts us the Holy Spirit Seals believers a ministry that's mentioned of the

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Holy Spirit that he seals us He's like a guarantee a down payment for us and in that sense that same sense of him sealing us the

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Holy Spirit indwells Believers now. I don't know if you've ever thought about this like from the little kids Sunday school perspective

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Did you picture that there's a little compartment in your heart and the Holy Spirit is in there living and he's like Is that the way that was that what it means when we talk about the

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Holy Spirit indwelling believers like there's a component of him Inside us I believe that that's a lot more about ethics and morals and him guiding us into truth and directing on our lives and owning our lives and so that's what it means that the

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Spirit dwells in his people that our behavior is Becoming more and more conformed to him

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He guides us gives us direction The Holy Spirit sheds light on the word for believers

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I don't think I've ever thought about this But have you ever considered like if a if an unbeliever reads

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John 3 16 and a believer reads John 3 16? Is there a substantial difference in their?

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understanding of the words The answer is actually no an unbeliever can understand the content of Scripture.

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They can get it They can understand what it means in English. Are you getting what I'm saying in there?

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So they understand the what it means But do they apply and understand the implications of it what it has to do with them?

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And that it's something that ought to apply to their lives And so the Holy Spirit takes and is there something different about when a believer reads it and an unbeliever reads it?

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Yes, because we see it as valuable. We see it as important for us speaking about us and our lives

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Are you getting what I'm saying in that and the Holy Spirit has that role? Have you ever noticed sometimes where you read a passage that you are very familiar with and the circumstances of your life and something about that?

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Text strikes you right where you're at. Maybe early in the morning Maybe you're in the process and in the practice of getting up and reading the

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Bible over your lunchtime or whatever But you read Scripture and it's like I've read that a hundred times and it never hit me that way and then all of a sudden

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Boom, it's like the lights come on and you're like, oh that's either convicting or that's encouraging or whatever

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It might be that's the work of the Spirit in your life. So the Spirit does all different kinds of things but here in verse 2 of 1st

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Peter chapter 1 He is concerned with a very specific work of the

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Holy Spirit. He says that we have been Chosen we have been elect in the sanctification of The Spirit he is concerned with the sanctifying work of the

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Spirit now you go. Okay, Don that that solves everything now I get it now. I know what he's doing How many of you have like a really solid working definition of the word sanctification

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And so is that a word that you use on a regular basis you use it all the time right in your workplace You're talking to everybody about your sanctification and stuff.

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Probably not a word that you're using very often and it needs some definition my guess is that as soon as many of us hear that word if you've been kicking it around church for a while that your

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Thoughts turn to something about living for God Then if you have that kind of notion in your mind when you hear the word

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Sanctification something about the way we live or improving our lives or looking more like Christ for some of us it evokes in our minds

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Maybe a list of rules that we should live by Or something like that but to be honest many of us do not really if we're honest have a

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Decent understanding of the word sanctification and the fact of the matter is many who have been around the church for a long time

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Have not heard a good definition of the word sanctification So I'm gonna share with you what one of my theology professors many many years ago

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Shared with me about this word that has really helped me to get my get my mind and my arms around this word

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Sanctification the word sanctification is like the verb form of the word. Holy. Okay, that solves everything, right?

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So holiness is like the thing and to sanctify something means to make it

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Holy to to to holify it Okay, so doesn't mean to poke holes in it, but it means to make something.

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Holy. Well, that's great But the the illustration that my professor gave me really just kind of sunk into my mind

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He said he remembers a few times. This was an older gentleman I don't know if he's actually still with us today But an older gentleman who says

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I remember back in the day when I was just a wee little lad my mom had a sanctified pair of scissors and I remember being paddled for using her sanctified scissors in an unsanctified way

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So let me explain this my mom liked to sew a lot. Okay. She was always sewing.

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She was always cutting cloth She had a sanctified wholly set apart pair of scissors that was only to be used to cut cloth

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So he said every once in a while me and my brothers we needed some binder twine cut or We needed some paper cut or we needed something else or we needed to pry something loose

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We got a little bit of trouble because we used mom's sanctified Wholly set apart pair of scissors now can scissors be used for a variety of different things

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Yeah Can a human life be used for a variety of different things?

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Absolutely But we're talking about Sanctification we're talking about something that is set apart for a specific use.

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Are you getting me on this? Does that kind of snap it into focus for you? Like it did for me the idea of a set apart pair of scissors

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They are used for this reason they can they can do a lot of different things They have a lot of potential to do a variety of things, but this set of scissors is for a specific purpose

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Intentionally set aside That illustration is stuck with me and has helped to clarify

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Some very significant realities for me in my walk with Christ and what it means to be sanctified to be set apart

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So sanctification is the process of setting something aside for a specific purpose So from this notion of being set aside or making something unique comes a reasonable conclusion

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That those who have been given new life in Christ and have been granted a living hope as Peter said last week they have been set aside for a specific purpose and I think just a just a minor side note on this that I think is valuable to contemplate is that being set aside

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Means that we are no longer our own Own but indeed we are rightly and Reasonably owned by our

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Lord and Master and King Jesus Christ who owns you

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Who calls the shots for you? We live different from the world

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Because we now have a God -given Use rhetorical questions.

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You don't need to answer Who do you breathe for? Who do you breathe for?

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Who do you work for? Who dictates the way that you communicate with others

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Who dictates the way you communicate with your spouse? Who dictates the way you communicate with your children your boss your co -workers?

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Those who directly report to you Who determines how you drive your car

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Yeah, Oh conviction yeah conviction me too Who calls the shots you can hit a cultural hot topic here?

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Who who calls the shots concerning the expression of your sexuality? Who calls the shots concerning the expression of your sexuality?

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Who owns your body? Who owns your academic pursuits? Who drives your entertainment choices?

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The Implications of our being set aside by God are extremely important There is not a component of what it means to be a human that is not impacted that is not touched

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There's nothing that I do in any given day that is not touched by the fact that I am owned body and soul by my

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Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His claim over me is absolute

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It is absolute Well, you look at my life and you're you don't have to live with me long

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Linda's over there going. Yeah, I know You don't have to live with me long to realize that I don't I don't always do what

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God wants of me And it is to my shame and to my detriment that I am

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NOT at all times sanctified and completely set apart for the use of God and that is called sin and that needs to be repented of and turned from and Walked away from coming back in line with what my

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Lord and Savior wants of me Peter is saying that we have been set apart from others in salvation by the

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Holy Spirit And now here in verses 10 through 12, he is going to describe what he means by this concept of being set apart

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Certainly as we dig deeper into this letter We're gonna see that Peter spells out the implications more and more about what a life looks like that is set apart by the

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Holy Spirit But the way he explains the self this Sanctification in our text here moving through verses 10 through 12 might surprise us a little bit at what he is implying by us being sanctified or set apart

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Something unique about you and me that he wants to highlight for us that should provide us imminent intense awesome encouragement

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Something about the way that God has set us apart Peter clarifies at the start of verse 10 that he wants to he wants to say right away

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I am talking still about salvation concerning this salvation. He says But I want to explain that salvation from a different perspective

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I want to talk to you about how God in the Spirit has set you apart in his calling of you

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And partway into verse 10 He begins to describe the ancient prophets and it it appears as though as we go through this next maybe 10 minutes of this message

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It's gonna be like where's he going with this? Why all this talk about sanctification in the introduction of your message and then now we're gonna talk about the prophets

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Where's this going? Well, we'll settle in here and we'll figure it out He talks about the prophets and the fact of the matter is we probably don't spend much time in the prophets, right?

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I mean, maybe if you're reading through the Bible in a year you hit it then but very rarely I'm guessing that not many of you woke up early to to review your memorization of the book of Habakkuk Is that it was that what you were doing this?

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I know that's what you did before breakfast this morning You were memorizing Habakkuk, right? Or you were you turn to meditate on Obadiah when a crisis hits in your life, right or Nahum Mmm, just love to hear those prophecies of judgment against Nineveh Or the

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Prophet Joel about all those locusts just just really gets me going what you know

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Well, the fact of the matter is it's all God's Word and I don't mean to be whimsical about it because it is it's all beneficial

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But we recognize that the prophets can be confusing and hard to apply anybody with me on that Can be difficult to apply directly to our lives

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And if you've read some of the minor prophets and you know what I'm talking about, it takes work. It takes effort

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To understand what's going on there. It's historical understanding But Peter says we can learn some good stuff from the prophets and he that's what he's pointing us

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He's pointing us back to them to talk about them for a minute And he first tells us in verse 10 that the prophets actually foretold the grace that would belong to you and me

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They talked about it way back when about where we sit today Hmm.

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Hey, you got my attention Peter. What is this that these ancient prophets were saying about me?

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What is it recast that these ancient prophets were saying about you? They were talking about us.

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Oh your ears ringing Centuries centuries and centuries ago.

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They were referring to us Huh? Now if you've spent any time reading any of the prophets you realize that they talked about a lot of different things a

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Lot of content there there were major themes some of the major themes that probably stand out to you Even when I mentioned the word prophets is the sinfulness of the nations the sinfulness of God's people

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Does that stand out as maybe one of the themes in the Old Testament prophets? Those of you have read them do you agree with me on that?

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Major massive theme judgment the judgment of the nation's the judgment of the people of God The grace of God a little thought of theme in the prophets the grace of God that he would leave any

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Alive that he would leave a remnant A lot of the prophets talk consistently and continually about a remnant that will be left

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Sprinkled throughout all the Old Testament prophets are glimpses of a major restoration on the horizon a

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Major reconciliation between God and man and they point to a person coming they point to one on the way to bring about this reconciliation and If you read the prophets with a mind towards grace

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Some amazing things will begin to pop out at you some of these things that I think Peter is referring to in the prophet

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Ezekiel Ezekiel was given a glimpse of a future time Our time a

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Time when God would take out the heart of stone from his people and would replace it

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He would give them open -heart surgery if you will obviously it's a metaphor But he would give them open -heart surgery and he would take out the heart of stone

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And he would give them a heart of flesh take out a stone a stony heart that doesn't beat for him

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That doesn't have relationship that doesn't have connection with him And he would take it out of their chest and put it in its place a heart of flesh

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That would beat for him and would be in love with him and would be connected to him Can any of you in the room relate to that?

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You're like, hey, that sounds like my story At one point. I was the one with that that rock in my chest that would not beat for anyone

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Had no passion had no love had no desire for the things of God and God has taken that from me and in this place

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I have this inexplicable. I can't really explain how it's happened. But I have this love for God that is overflowing in me now

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Ezekiel saw that but the Prophet Joel didn't just talk about just the

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Locust plague, but he foresaw a time when the Spirit of God would descend on men women children masters servants not just judges and priests and kings like in the

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Old Testament But all would have access to the Spirit of God, but we know that's through Jesus Christ But he foresaw a time when all would be

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Candidates for the indwelling of the Spirit of God and then of course Isaiah We can't even scratch the surface of the things that Isaiah foresaw

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He saw the foresaw he foresaw the coming of the suffering servant who would be crushed by God for the forgiveness of sins

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He saw some images that I wonder what he what how did that make sense to him in his ancient culture in his ancient time?

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He was given these glimpses of things yet to happen things out in the future And I wonder how much it is just kind of and we're gonna see here in just a moment that some of the things that the

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Prophets actually foresaw mystified them it confused them to a degree. They didn't get it all

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Because according to Peter in verses 10 and 11 these prophets were not privileged with the full picture of what they were talking about Have you ever watched parts of a movie?

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And you think of a movie maybe you've seen just bits and pieces of it I remember when we drove out west Cars 2 is one of those movies for me because my kids were listening to it on our trip

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Out west in the in the back of our van and so they were watching it And so I've got bits and pieces of it between conversations with Linda and different stuff going on And so if you have a movie like that in mind

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Maybe you saw it in a couple different sittings you saw the first part and then the second half part and whatever and you try To piece together the plot or whatever if you can think in those terms

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Then you have some inkling or some understanding of what it was like for these Old Testament prophets who certainly did not

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Understand the whole thing if I want to understand the full plot. I think I have the gist of cars 2 But I would need to sit down and watch the whole thing to be sure you're getting what

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I'm saying And at this point that is kind of similar So the prophets were given

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Gifts of snapshots of God's plan of grace that was coming down the pipeline But they were not given full disclosure

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They did not see the picture that you and I see they were putting together pieces of the puzzle

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We have the puzzle put together for us. Guess where it is. It's on your lap The puzzle has been put together for you and me

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They longed for this They would trade places with you and me in a heartbeat to have this

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This is what they longed for They they hungered after this the words that are used in this text for the way the prophets viewed this are intense

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They knew that they didn't have it all according to this text So like a person who receives a torn love note

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Can you imagine getting a love note from somebody that you love that's gone away for a while and you get that you get the note

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And it's only and you can see that it's torn right in half and you only get half of it How many of you might want to know what the other half says and you would earnestly desire to know the other words on the page

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That's the way the prophets were regarding the grace of God In verse 10

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Peter says that these prophets searched they inquired carefully the text says about the grace that is now ours

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Ours They inquired carefully about it they were intrigued by it they were in some sense mystified by it

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They were drawn in by it There is a diligent in the Hebrew words that are used here in verse 10 to indicate that the prophets made it their passion to know more to search to study to understand

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To seek to comb over the details like with a fine -tooth comb going back over the prophecies again and again looking for more

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The word inquiry implies even prayer and seeking the Lord saying God show us more of your grace

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We hunger for more They'd long to know him and they long to know his plan of redemption

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They recognize that even from that historical place. What a privilege the grace of God truly is

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The knowledge of his grace was worth their diligent study. They didn't even have the full picture

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And it was worth their diligent study And they specifically understood by the spirit that a person was coming a

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Person was on the way So the primary the primary focus of their inquiry the primary focus of what it was that they were looking for was who is he?

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And when is he coming? Who and when according to the text is the primary focus of their inquiry?

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They inquired by the Holy Spirit of Christ who predicted the sufferings of the Christ and the glories of a future eternal kingdom

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This is another way of saying what I hope you already know. And that is as we go through the Old Testament's Every story in the

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Old Testament whispers the name of Jesus Christ There's a great resource. I would like to recommend if you have younger children and you're here.

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I recommend this book highly It's called the Jesus storybook Bible Does any of you have that or know what

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I'm talking about a handful of you? It's an excellent resource and I you know I would recommend that you

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Get on Amazon and grab a copy or go to the bookstore and grab a copy but the subtitle of it is every story whispers his name and it's it's it's awesome because it takes

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Kids through in a really, you know good pictures and good narrative But it takes them through the

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Old Testament stories pointing to Jesus in the Old Testament stories It's a great resource that we've used with our kids

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I love it because rather than making the stories all about us like so many children's curriculums do like so many children's books do it's

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All about us. It's all about a morality. It's all about sharing with your brother sharing with your sister obeying your parents It's always you ever thought about how much we teach our kids to do do do

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How are we teaching them the gospel? How are we teaching about them their needs? So when the when the Jesus storybook

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Bible gets to the story of David and Goliath It doesn't end like most children's stories and you can slay your

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Giants, too Is that what the story is that the story cuz last time I checked I'm not too good at killing

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Giants How many of you to acknowledge that you have some Giants in your life that just don't go away right now

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And like I want it to go away and I've been trying to slay it. I'm been trying to kill it What am I doing wrong? Because this giant isn't dead yet I'm here and I'm I'm trying

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God by faith to trust you with this and it's not gone yet The story of David and Goliath.

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I'm convinced we've gotten wrong for years God Sent to us a greater

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David David being not the picture of you and me David being the picture of who?

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Jesus Christ The one who in the end will slay our

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Giants will destroy sin will destroy death will slay that ancient serpent and He will be punished forever and ever.

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That's the story And so these Old Testament stories point to Jesus And that's what the prophets were doing for us

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It's interesting to note that these Old Testament prophets knew that the answer they were searching for was personal

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They were not looking for some future event as if salvation was going to come in the form of an earthquake that would destroy all

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The enemies of Israel or that it would be fire from heaven that would come down could God have done it that way

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Could he Yeah, of course. He's God He could have done it that way but instead it's personal

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Salvation was coming through a person a Messiah One born of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent all the way back in Genesis From the very beginning the prophecies have always been about one who would come to rescue us

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God is personal and the prophets knew it and they set their hearts on knowing more about the one who was on his way

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That's what they wanted to know most about Who is he? When's he coming? you catch do you catch any anticipation on their part a

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Hunger a thirst an inquiry. Who is he and when's he coming because I can't wait and I hope

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I get to see it And finally when we get down to verse 12 We find out where Peter is going with all of this because I thought he was gonna talk about sanctification

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I thought he was gonna talk about setting us apart But so far all he's done is talk about some Old Testament prophets and they're they're searching because they wanted to understand the grace the grace

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That you and I have been set apart unto Because look at verse 12

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It was revealed to those Old Testament prophets. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves, but you but you the church

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That that you apply certainly in Peter's time to his original audience who is he writing to the elect exiles believers in Jesus Christ Those who have been caused to be born again to a living hope you

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So that the picture that you have when you open the book to Isaiah I want you to picture in your mind the old dude with the long white

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Flowing beard and he steps up and he takes a subtle bow and says Isaiah at your service

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Here to serve you Or Ezekiel at your service or Amos at your service.

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Here's a farmer So it says right at the beginning Amos was a farmer So you see all these prophets by the power of the

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Holy Spirit laid the foundation for further Revelation that has been provided for us now clarified in the

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New Testament They gave the snapshots that fill in the gaps and Now the

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New Testament that we know has has completed that They were searching for that diligently

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But I believe Peter is saying to his audience and even to you and me today is that we are such a privileged people

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We are so privileged It's right under our nose and we don't see it

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The prophets would have given anything to see the things that we have seen and They are to us just a memory of things that took place in the distant past and to them they longs to know

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They would have traded places with you and I in a heartbeat Just to know what we take for granted

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Every day, how was the Holy Spirit sanctified you? How was the

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Holy Spirit sanctified me? How has he set you apart? He brought you to this time and place

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That is how he has set you apart He gave you life at this time and not only gave you life but he's given you new life if you are in with Christ and You are one of his children at one of the most privileged times in human history

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Do you realize what an amazing thing it is to live at a time when the gospel has been preached through the New Testament?

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And even our salvation is dependent upon that revelation by the Holy Spirit as the end of verse 12 says

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The fact of the matter is whoever led you to faith may or may not have quoted Bible verses They might not have quoted them verbatim.

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They might not have opened the Bible to you. Maybe they did That's awesome if they did and if they didn't that's fine too because the only truth that saves is truth that comes from the revelation of the

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Holy Spirit through scripture So even if they cobbled their way through a bunch of kind of improv

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Attempts at trying to quote scripture or trying to whatever was true that they shared with you comes from God And if you're saved through what they said, then that was the work of the

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Spirit through them That was his work on their behalf Peter caps off this section by saying

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I Love this last phrase because it led leads to so much speculation It's not intended to at all by Peter But it's the way our our modern minds work and we want to define everything and clarify everything

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So Peter caps off the section by saying even the angels in heaven long to understand the mysteries of this glorious gospel

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Even even the angels wish that they knew what you know. Well, why does he say this? I'm convinced it's not primarily to make us curious about what angels do and don't know it does it makes you curious, doesn't it?

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Automatically you're like what wait a minute the angels long to understand the gospel. So do the angels get it that they they know the gospel

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What's what's the story there? But I believe his main point is just carried through this text

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He wants to highlight once again, how privileged we are to be insiders regarding this plan of God and in this sense

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He's saying it's not just chronological privilege, but it's cosmic privilege Not just crime not just chronology because you happen to be born now where the truth is revealed and in your lap right now the very revealed full disclosure of what

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God wants humans to know for their flourishing for their benefit for their blessing for his recreation in the end

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And for his restoration and forgiveness for us And it's all right there But it's not just that it's cosmic even the angels go man.

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I wish we could be insiders on that. I Wish we could be insiders on that grace and get it too.

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I'm not when I talk about privilege here Our minds could go all over the place right because we live in a variety

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There's all different kinds of aspects to our privilege right now isn't isn't there? I mean you could be going Yeah, thank you.

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God for letting me be born when there's electricity Thank you. God that there's freedom of religion.

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Thank you. God and I encourage this by the way. I'm not not not bad -mouthing this I'm just saying there's something missing

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Often in our sense of privilege that doesn't have a whole lot to do with this and has a whole lot to do with this

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Just comfort and ease and those types of things. Are you getting what I'm saying at this? I would encourage you to be thankful, but I mean things like you know privileges like electricity freedom of religion running water iPhone 6s diaper genies you name it all kinds of really awesome technology out there some pretty cool stuff

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But Peter is suggesting that we have been set aside Sanctified by the

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Holy Spirit to live in a privileged time We have access to the word

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And Peter says once again rejoice the prophets longed for a glimpse of what you have in your lap

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The angelic messengers of God see you as privileged in the cosmic scope of history We are in the most privileged time the

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Spirit saw fit To place you on the team for this

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World Series this postseason this playoff team if you will in a spiritual sense

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Consider what this means for his purpose for you put you here now with everything

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With it all Here at this era in this time in history consider what this implies for how we ought to cherish and study the word and carefully inquire of God's completed disclosure to us a

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Couple of clear applications come to mind as we wrap this up in light of this amazing privilege Consider how you are taking advantage of your place on the team here in this era here in this time

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Some teams slack off during the postseason Not trying to malign any

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Detroit teams or anything, but It seems to imply that maybe you know like the hard work is done

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It took a lot to get here in the postseason. Let's enjoy it well Enjoying it ought to look like maybe a little bit of hard work in there

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But the fact of the matter is many think that the hard work is past and now we get to just you know sit back And enjoy the limelight

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It's not over yet. You're right I Do want to encourage you to enjoy this position

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I Think it's appropriate for you to delight to rejoice to be grateful that you have indeed received this privilege

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It's appropriate. I wouldn't feel horrible concluding with that But I think there's more that needs to be said and I think the spirit is probably tugging at some of your hearts

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And I don't even have to say it, but as we think about this privilege time It's appropriate for us to rejoice, and I want you to rejoice.

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I want you to be grateful and encouraged That God has placed you here now that he has shown his grace to you

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I mean I Don't ask for it often, but can I have an amen to that God has shown his grace to you, but the second application is that Something to take on as a responsibility down through the ages

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Access to God's Word has been limited Do you realize it's just the last two to three hundred years that you that this has just exploded in its availability?

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It has not always been this way And it does not always need to be this way in the future there could come a time when the word is scarce no longer printed

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That could that could happen But the fact of the matter is his history has not always rolled the way that we roll now and we get this

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Chronological snobbery as C .S. Lewis said it just and we get the sense that we are here now, and it's just always been this way

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I Think he actually meant that differently use that inappropriately There have been technological limitations until the invention of the printing press there

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There just wasn't the availability of the word had to be you imagine would would you like the job of writing this by hand?

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Make a copy for a friend be a hand cramp you think For the printing press, but there's also been spiritual resistance

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Through some who realized that access to the Word of God would give power to the common people for centuries this was kept only for the pastors only for the priests only for the leaders and You know we wouldn't want the common folk to get a copy of the

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Bible would we but those barriers have been removed for you

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And the prophets are jealous that you have it The angels wish they were insiders like you and me

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Let me encourage you Take advantage of the word Dig in and rejoice that you have been crazy privileged to be here at this point in this time in history

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As we come to communion this morning we celebrate by remembering I love that word remembering the way that that ties in with the fact that they were looking forward wishing they could see these things

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We're looking back Remembering the full puzzle piece the full picture of the puzzle has been put together

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They were inquiring about this and And it's already happened He was born to a woman in the little town of Bethlehem He lived 33 years

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Approximately around the area of Israel. He performed miracles. He gave insightful spiritual teaching

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He spoke of the kingdom of God He lived a sinless life and was crucified for our sins

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His body was broken for his people his blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins and he was raised again

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Three days later and We have the privilege to remember

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What the prophets longed to know If Jesus is your only hope for salvation, then please come and take communion with others this morning

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There's table set up in Corners of the room the band is going to come to play a final song and during that song at any time as you get an opportunity you can get up and take communion

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If you are not yet sure what the death of Jesus Christ means Or have not taken the steps to ask him to save you from your sins

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Then please skip communion this morning But whether or not you believe you live in a privileged time

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If you're in with Christ you live in a privileged time if you're not quite there yet and you're wrestling and you're struggling you live in a privileged time

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So why not take the time to study and read the Word of God? It's here for you

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My hope this morning is that as we leave here You don't feel like I've hit you over the head with the the biblical pastoral two by four of all your horrible

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You just don't read enough That's not the point. I don't want you leaving here motivated out of guilt

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I Want you to leave here motivated by a glimpse of the great privilege you have been given

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My only one who suffers if you don't dig into the word, it's not me The real sufferer is you

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I mean God isn't God isn't I mean there's this picture of God who's like crying and waiting for you to meet him on you

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Know on the sofa and stuff like that. You're gonna suffer if you don't dig into God's Word It's gonna be hard for you.

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And so It's a it's the cry of my heart to you. Is that you're privileged

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Take advantage of the privilege that God has given to you. Let's pray father.

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We we are such a privileged people and We don't deserve it

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But you have seen fit to place us here in this time and in this history and father I'm convinced that people in this room have been called out to do things for your honor and glory in this era and in this time

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Through faith in your word and through trust in you Father I pray that you would help us to dig our roots deep into the truth that you have revealed to us father

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Your word is alive. It is active. It is powerful. It is life -transforming And I pray for that even this morning, even as we've had a message from your word about your word

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I pray that it would have its way in our heart and father that we would not leave here with a Sense of guilt and a sense of obligation a sense of checklists of things to do this week

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That reading your scripture would never be Just strictly a box to check in the morning, but father that it would be a meeting with you

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I pray that for all of us and as we come to the table father We thank you for the blood of jesus christ that was shed for us without his shed blood.

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We would have no hope Father, we thank you for the cracker that reminds us of his body that was broken for us

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He stood in our place where we deserved punishment. He took it on himself And father if there's anyone here who that doesn't make sense to I pray that you would give them boldness to come and speak with me to come and speak with rob to come and speak with Someone else here that could lead them to an understanding of what you have done for us in christ.