Certainty in Uncertain Times: Peter’s Encouragement

I turn on the news. It's so depressing. I can't even stand it. People protesting, storming the streets. Our government seems like it's in disarray. My friend, I don't know about you, but I want an anchor. I want sure and steadfast. And it's not in this life, but it's in his. Amen to that. It's a certainty. An anchor, something that holds me fast and secure even when the winds are strong and the waves are high. His election, his choosing of you, you are his now and have always been his. And that, my friend, should give you certainty and hope. [00:39:30] (41 seconds)  #AnchoredInChrist

When I grew up in our attic, we had boxes of stuff that we'd inherited from people and old dusty clothes and tarnished silver, pictures of people that no one even knew who they were, and nobody wanted any of it. We had old clothing that was so faded, you couldn't even tell what color it had originally been and all just sat in our attic in boxes, yellowed and dusty. But that's not our inheritance in heaven, friends. It's not old clothes and tea sets. It's eternal life. It's joy in Christ. It's future reward. It's a new body. [00:44:03] (41 seconds)  #EternalInheritance

A living hope means when I recognize that my strength is small, but God's strength is everything. Remember, the Bible says that his strength is made perfect in your strength. Wait. Is that what it says? No. It says that his strength is made perfect in our weakness. When you feel weak, when you feel uncertain, when you feel like you don't know what the answer is, then praise God because that's when his strength is the strongest in my life. [00:42:28] (29 seconds)  #StrengthInWeakness

Before the foundation of the world, your name was written there. And friend, that should give us some certainty. Should give us some hope. Before the first star appeared in the sky, before the first blade of grass grew in a field, friend, if you're a believer in Christ, your name was written in the book of life. Amen. Paul talks about this in Ephesians one. Ephesians one verses four and five. Look at this. It's on the screen. Just as he chose us in him when? When I became a Southern Baptist. [00:37:30] (36 seconds)  #NamesInGodsBook

These Christians throughout the empire knew persecution so fierce, they didn't know how they were gonna face tomorrow. And it was to these believers that Peter wrote this letter. These early believers needed some certainty. Do we need that today? Amen. We sure do. I do. As I've been reading through first Peter over these past months, again, this single theme comes to my mind of certainty, certainty, certainty. Not certainty because of whoever's in power in the White House, not certainty because of other people, but certainty in Christ. [00:31:44] (36 seconds)  #CertaintyInChrist

You know what? I can relate to Peter. Peter had victories, but Peter had failures. He knew suffering. This is not a man carved out of marble. This is not a man who's just a stained glass window. This is a guy that's real. He made a lot of mistakes. He knew failure. He betrayed the Lord. Peter walked with water or walked with Jesus on the water. Yes. But he also doubted. And when he took his eyes off Jesus, the Lord said to him, oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt? [00:29:25] (34 seconds)  #PeterWasHuman

And the part I wanna draw your attention to in those first couple verses is a certain selection. He says this. He said to the pilgrims in these different places, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father. What does that mean to be elect? Does he mean like election, like we just had elections in this country? No. He means that from eternity past, if you are a believer, you were selected ahead of time to be a believer in Christ. [00:34:53] (31 seconds)  #DivineSelection

I find it both joyous and humbling that God would choose me. I don't know if you ever feel like this, but I gotta tell you, there's so many times I'm maybe I'm praying or I'm driving down the road and I think, Lord, why me? There's so many other better people than I am, so many other people more deserving. But you know what? I'm just thankful. I'm thankful that he did. I'm thankful for the certainty that God held my future in his hands before the foundation of the world. It reminds me of my favorite verse. I've told it with to you before. [00:38:29] (35 seconds)  #ThankfulToBeChosen