A Chain Reaction of Praise

``I like to think of this text as a photograph of God himself here and he's written on the back of the photograph to those who will believe. Here's what it says, it doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter what you've done, because of my great mercy, I've given you life and I will bring you home. You belong to me. [00:31:40] (25 seconds)  #BelongToGod

Hope in the bible is defined as certain expectation, and it has with it this sense of anticipation. Our hope isn't dependent on positive thinking or, you know, a lot of pizza or certain football teams experiencing the wrath of God. What whatever. No. That isn't it. Our hope, he writes, is grounded in truth. Did you notice? It's tied to what? Our hope is tied to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Let me put it this way. Our hope is not dead because Jesus is not dead. Our hope is not empty because the tomb is empty. [00:17:17] (47 seconds)  #HopeBecauseHeLives

Here's the message of God through the inspired pen of Peter. Scattered people who wondered if God had lost interest in them. They have no market value. They are scorned by their world. They certainly know they're sinners, but they are sinners who believe in the personal resurrected savior. So God is telling them and us through Peter this, you are ever wandering and you are ever sinful, but I am great with mercy. [00:30:37] (32 seconds)  #MercyForTheWandering

Now in one sense, god doesn't really need us to bless him. He doesn't need us to say nice things about him so he feels better about himself. Right? He can stay motivated on the job. So let's keep him incentivized. Say say a few nice things about him. And that isn't God. Peter is simply setting example that is good for us. It's good for us to say, thank God. Blessed be God. [00:04:48] (30 seconds)  #BlessedToPraiseGod

The the word also carries the idea of an invading army leaving destruction in its wake. And and I couldn't help but apply it, of course, to these believers in their context. The scattered believers are surrounded by enemies. Their lives have been invaded. Their lives have been disrupted. Their homes and their lands have been taken away from them. Imagine how encouraging it is to be reminded as they read here that their inheritance will never be invaded. It will never be destroyed. It will never be taken away from them. [00:21:17] (37 seconds)  #InheritanceSecure

I found a rather tragic story of one of the richest women in Asia leaving her vast fortune to her mystic guru because he promised her that he could guarantee her eternal life. Listen. The only person who can guarantee you eternal life is someone who is eternal. That's exactly what Peter wants us to thank God about in this fourth and final truth that leads us to praise God. Not only can we praise God for our new life, our living hope, our eternal inheritance, but fourthly, God's personal guarantee. [00:27:30] (34 seconds)  #GodsPersonalGuarantee

Well, maybe that's your prayer today. Every day is not as bad as this one. Well, Peter is writing a letter to people in the first century. You couldn't imagine anything really to be thankful for. They're facing a snowstorm of doubt and trouble, suffering. These snowdrifts of trials have just sort of mounted up before them. They're scattered throughout Pontius, and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Asia, and Bithynia. They're they're sort of trudging through life against these bitter winds of growing sorrow and and persecution. [00:02:51] (39 seconds)  #HopeInTheStorm

Christian, upon conversion to Jesus Christ, he brought us from spiritual death to spiritual life, Ephesians two ten. We become new creatures. We become a new creation. Second Corinthians five seventeen and Galatians six fifteen. We actually begin to participate in a new God given life, and we did nothing to deserve it. God, in his great mercy, gave it to us. [00:10:07] (31 seconds)  #FromDeathToLife

It's intriguing to All the liberals and all the atheists and all the evolutions and all those who deny our creator God who are scrambling to save the earth. Guess what? They're not gonna save the earth. God is actually saving it for you. He will recreate it, Peter will tell us later, brand new, so the earth never really did belong to them. But one day, it will belong to you. This is yours. Enjoy it. It's your inheritance. [00:20:09] (37 seconds)  #GodWillRenewTheEarth

Peter also calls our inheritance, notice, undefiled, unstained, unpolluted. It speaks of a coming life that will never be stained by pollution. Imagine the pristine air and the crystal clear water of your newly created planet. Have I mentioned that belongs to you? The word also speaks of life without the stain of sin. It could also be understood as life without crime, without fear. [00:21:55] (35 seconds)  #UndefiledInheritance

I find it interesting oftentimes in what the Bible doesn't say, what the apostles don't say. Peter could have mentioned any number of great things, great attributes, great truths about God that saved us. He could have said, because of his great gift, because of his great love, because of his great sacrifice, because of his great grace. Now here, he's he's focusing on the great mercy of God. And maybe, I can't be sure, but maybe Peter refers to God's mercy because the world around these scattered believers has turned merciless. Their world has turned against them. But it also draws out this wonderful theological truth. [00:07:54] (54 seconds)  #MercyInAMercilessWorld

Now Peter describes our inheritance, notice, with with some interesting words and phrases. He first says it's imperishable. That means pretty much what it says. It's just impossible to experience decay. It isn't gonna perish. It isn't going to pass away. You can understand this to mean it isn't gonna come to ruin. It is indestructible. The new Earth is gonna last forever. It's not gonna wind down and the universe with it. It isn't gonna perish. [00:20:46] (31 seconds)  #ImperishablePromise

In other words, you don't just have a certain expectation. You have an eternal inheritance. Now throughout the New Testament, if you're older in the faith, you probably know the believer is called a joint heir or an heir with Christ in acts chapter 20 and Galatians chapter three and Ephesians chapter three, the idea of the believer inheriting some inheritance as a joint heir of Christ. Now in the Old Testament, this idea to the Jewish follower of God, they expected to inherit, and their inheritance was the promised land. And we call it the promised land because the land was promised to them as their inheritance. [00:18:27] (43 seconds)  #HeirWithChrist

Peter adds, notice, it'll not fade away. Now that's interesting to me. You can read it it'll not grow dim. The word is actually used in in classical Greek to refer to the fading beauty of flowers. They they wilt. Their beautiful color fades away, doesn't it? The word also can convey the nuance of losing its freshness. You know, part of our fallen nature, beloved, is that we get used to stuff. Right? We get used to people. We get used to special blessings. We we we get used to things. [00:23:39] (41 seconds)  #NeverGrowsDim

By God's mercy, he saved us. Not just in giving us what we don't deserve, that's grace, but in not giving us what we deserve, that's mercy. We're saved because God is not gonna give us what we deserve. We deserve his judgment. We deserve hell. We deserve punishment. [00:08:48] (27 seconds)  #SavedByMercy

It could also be understood as life without crime, without fear. Imagine a life without locks and alarms. Keys are no longer necessary. Wouldn't it be great? You'll never have to ask, where did I put my keys? Where did I put my glasses? Where did I none of that's gonna be. I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna have so much more time on my hands because I'm not looking for my keys or my glasses. [00:22:24] (26 seconds)  #LifeWithoutLocks

Peter is informing these scattered believers and us that our inheritance will be without any stain, without any blemish. Our bodies, certainly, but imagine no stain or blemish on our hearts, our minds, No regrets. Everything about us is as well as our inheritance will be undefiled. [00:23:13] (26 seconds)  #BlemishFreeInheritance

Not only is our inheritance reserved for us in heaven, Peter tells us we are protected by the power of God for this future aspect of salvation, which he's gonna roll out at the last time. That's the final day of consummation when God ushers us into that new heaven and new earth. Now, very quickly, salvation in the Bible, the New Testament has three aspects to it. There's a past tense aspect. There's a present tense aspect, and there is a future aspect to your salvation where in heaven, you'll be delivered from the very presence of sin. Now how can you be sure you're gonna make it all the way from justification to glorification, especially if there's a lot of turbulence, you know, in the middle in sanctification. Right? How do you know? You have God's guarantee. Peter writes that you are even now, present tense, you are even now being protected by the power of God. You're being protected. [00:28:15] (67 seconds)  #GuardedByGodsPower

It's a military word for being shielded, for being guarded, for setting a guard to watch over something important or valuable. So who's doing the guarding here? Who is guarding your inheritance? Who is guarding you? God. You have his personal guarantee. [00:29:22] (21 seconds)  #GodIsYourGuardian

You don't deserve to live, but I have given you a new life and every day a fresh start. You are bankrupt and penniless, but I have given you an incredible inheritance. You'll never lose. You're homeless. You're wandering. You're scattered throughout the kingdom's birth, but I'm guaranteeing that I will I will bring you home. [00:31:08] (32 seconds)  #HeWillBringYouHome