Proclaiming God's Glory: From Darkness to Light

"How you ordinary folks can know with well-grounded confidence that the Bible and first Peter in particular is the word of God and I drew your attention to the analogies of you can know that God made the world and this is his world by the fact that the heavens are telling the glory of God if you have eyes to see you'll see that if you don't you don't but it's real because the Bible says so it's real there's a real divine Divine Glory being communicated through Stars Moon Sun clouds um the whole ecost structure of the universe and and and Earth and and the human body and the human soul and the human consciousness it's just radiant with the glory of God." [00:00:55]

"But you are a chosen race a royal priesthood holy nation a people for his own possession so summing up those glorious things that have happened to us and that we are for a reason that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light what's that clearly it is not the Sun and not these Bright Lights it is another kind of light and it's real if you were born again you were called like like God saying to Lazarus in the Tomb Lazarus come forth and Lazarus is dead dead people don't obey unless the word creates The Obedience." [00:02:40]

"Living Hope sanctification by the spirit imperishable inheritance salvation ready to be revealed fire refined Faith praise glory and honor at the coming of Jesus inexpressible Joy ransomed by infinitely valuable blood purified heart through obedience to the truth truth tasting that the Lord is good a precious Cornerstone on which the whole church is built all of that is radiant with Divine Light that's how you know first Peter is of God that's how you know the gospel is true that's how you know the Bible is his word you were called out of Darkness Into His Marvelous light the light of God's glory shines through the truth of the scriptures." [00:04:36]

"God created the universe and human beings as the Apex of his Creation in his own image for this this is why you exist your family exists Brook Hills exists um Birmingham exists America exists the planet exists with all of its structures exists for this if families churches cities and nations are not doing this they are in treason against God their maker they're not doing what they were created to do the whole world is is treacherous and deserves therefore condemnation and are under condemnation and the wrath of God unless they be delivered by having their eyes open being born again to see what they were made for and joining God in the purposes of the universe which is to have his excellen proclaimed that's why the world exists don't waste your life doing other things do this in all that you do." [00:06:15]

"Beloved verse 11 I urge you as sojourners and Aliens Exiles I urge you abstain from passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul this word passions here epii is simply the word for desire sometimes very positive sometimes very negative when you translate sometimes it translated lust sometimes translated desire sometimes translated passion it's all the same word in Greek which should alert you to something that desires until they're attached to something or kind of neutral but if I desire to bless you that would make me happy to do something good for you that's wonderful desire if I desire to use you manipulate you that's an ugly desire Desiring though is is just it's just what we we are we we're a desire Factory that's the human being is a desire Factory and whether you go to heaven or whether you go to hell depends on whether the Factory is producing desires that are in accord with Christ and his gospel or desires that are in accord with with the world and anti God." [00:08:08]

"Desires of the flesh fleshly desires because they wage war against your soul now my question is how do they kill the soul how are they Waring the if if these desires are in you they are killing your soul they are making war on your soul and if they succeed they're going to bring you to ruin forever and I just want to suggest that they they are desires that keep you from seeing that that's how desires kill you desires Kill You by making you blind to this light." [00:09:53]

"Desires for other things choke the word what choke the word mean you can't see light when it's preached you you you you you you see it you see something exciting in the word you come to church that sounds good and then later that week you were just overwhelmed with desire for advancement at work or a new computer or some sexual illicit act or or or and this desire just goes that's not light that did that wasn't light just blinds you 1 Timothy 6:9 those who desire to be rich desire to be rich fall into many foolish and hurtful Temptations which lead to ruin and destruction that is war against your soul I want money I want more money I want to look like I have more money I want to drive like I have more money I want to dress like I have more money I want to live where where it looks like I have more money and I want more money I want more security I want more power I want more freedom money money money you will go blind overnight blind you can't see you cannot see this light wonderful light that's how that's how desires make war on the soul." [00:13:11]

"The remedy to most of our issues is not fixing them they're not going to be fixed most of them it's too late the remedy is light that's so wonderful it it puts the pain and the disappointment and the frustration in its proper perspective so it it doesn't rule your life anymore you can look at it and it's very painful and you can cry every day there it is I use the analogy in marriage in my book on marriage I said every marriage and this would be true for friendships churches needs a compost pile now compost piles stink you don't live beside a compost pile you put it out back and and and there's stuff in the marriage till the day you die that you need to take there and leave there and you'll always have a compost pile in a friendship and in a marriage meaning stuff you hate stinks I wish it weren't true I don't like that about this relationship and you can divorce because of that or you can build a compost pot and you take it back there and you throw it in there and and here's what will kill you putting up a tent by the compost pile which is what which is what a lot of people do you know why it feels so good to be angry Justified anger is a Sweet Emotion I'm right and since I'm right and you shouldn't talk that way or act that way therefore I'm going to stay right here by the compost pile and Savor how right I am about that crap oh this is real folks this is real so I've been married 46 years I intend to stay married till I'm dead and it's not been easy hardest thing I've ever dealt with my life is being married highest Pleasures lowest emotions and I just ter testify for all you younger folks who think think you've been married a long time at 15 um it's not going to get easier now that that's my testimony a woman came up to my wife at our 25th wedding anniversary with church celebrated with us and she took my wife's hand push it against her you know older people in my church they always take your hand push it against her stomach and and she said take heart Noel the second 25 are better we wouldn't say that I mean you're laughing and you should because you don't want to make me feel bad but that isn't true for us so compost pile very needed in the piper family and the point of the compost pile is it they will never be fixed I mean maybe they will but I doubt and if you think that's unbelief talking maybe it is come Chas me send me an email shame on you you shouldn't have modeled unbelief like that but if if you if you know here's how to wreck a marriage try for 20 years to fix something and then keep trying for the next 20 that that'll wreck everything no no some things you just lay down right She lays them down you lay them down you put them in the compost pile cuz you're still convinced right you know right so you put them in the compost pile and and uh and you don't live there you be in a Marvelous Light we got light in this family we're going to heaven together she is a fellow heir of the grace of life we're get into that chapter three she's a fellow heir of the grace of life she's a queen in heaven we're going home together there's light in this world it is awesome and wonderful and gloriously all consumed uming and you don't have to live by the compost pile and you don't have to deny that it exists like a nicee stupid person." [00:17:55]

"I think this war here is the war to Blind you to the wonderful light and these passions are the are Satan's biggest means of K keeping you from enjoying the wonderful light of God he's keeping you from enjoying the certainty that the Bible is the word of God because the only way to have that certainty is to see that light and the only way to survive in a life of great disappointment is to see a bigger more wonderful light that puts all the darkness into its proper place temporarily and one day is going to consume and fill the whole earth like the waters cover the sea and I would like that to happen for you so I think first Peter is written to help verse 11 happen so it's not like oh give me the 10 steps to make to make me um abstain give me the 10 the 10 steps of abstinence from these passions well I probably could do that but I think it it might be just more effective if we just keep going in First Peter because that's what this book and the whole Bible is to live in the Bible is to live with God's help to help you put to death the passions that blind you to his light." [00:22:19]