1 Peter 1:3 4 #302 Our Inheritance

Transcription

1 You've got Airmail from God, with today's reading here's your host Ted Gray. Thank you, Sir, and we continue the reading from 1 Peter. Last time when he said, Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience... The incredible doctrine of God's choice for us should be good news. Some people in this world get rejected by even their own spouses, by their own family, and by their own friends. But if God chose us from the beginning for the adoption of sons and daughters, then we have the one that matters, and we should be panic proof, depression proof, insecurity proof, and nobody loves me syndrome proof. I get high just realizing that God wants me, He always did. We were Elect before we were even saved, but we have to be saved in time and space to complete the ordained cycle. Sometimes we can even see the symptoms of God's Election in people before they get saved, that's real x ray vision. God is drawing the Elect and sometimes it becomes visible. It's happening through the sanctification of the Spirit. The Father thought it, the Son bought it, the Spirit taught it, and I have got it, forever. Then he throws in a little explanation, what's it all for? For obedience, a people for God's own possession, and He would want us in perfect, loving obedience. His wish should be our command, obedience is good for God, and for us. We also don't get around obedience, only illegitimate sons get around obedience without the seat of knowledge getting the extra tutoring in the woodshed. He scourges every son whom He calls. The obedience of the Elect will then result in Page 1 of 9

2 sweet peace. One young man said, Now I know that I'm a son, because I didn't get away with it. Eight months in jail proved this scripture to be true. 6 For whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. 7 If you endure chastening, God deliver you as with sons, for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye are without chastisement, whereof all partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. out of Hebrews 12:6 8 And he further says to encourage us, For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied, and faint in your minds. Ye have not resisted unto blood striving against sin. *And he further says, My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked by Him. *He was saying, The Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of blood of Jesus Christ. True Salvation also produces the desire for true obedience. * We love Him because He first loved us. If you love Him, then keep His commandments. *Obedience will produce abstinence from the works of the flesh, and will result in the doing of some Spiritual activities. *Obedience can be unpleasant or painful, obedience and blood relate to each other. As he said, Unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Page 2 of 9

3 The sprinkling of blood was literal in the Old Testament which was a picture of the New Testament, pointing to the Lamb of God. Thou He was a Son yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. Or as it says, And being found in fashioned as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8 And he said before, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5, that's the application. *Obedience is better than sacrifice. *Obedience is better than a phony sacrifice, this is really what this is saying in 1 Samuel 15. Samuel was telling King Saul, You sacrificed alright, but you disobeyed God, you sacrificed what you wanted to sacrifice, and what God had forbidden to sacrifice, and for that God rejected you from being King. And today a lot of things we do can look like obedience, can look Spiritual, or Godly, but they can be as phony and disobedient as a three dollar bill. Of which I think the most popular one is church attendance, it can be as phony as anything, because without obedience people are better off not coming together, and not having known the way of truth. The goal of the assembly meeting is to stimulate, or to provoke, or make obedient to love and good deeds toward others, while sacrificing of ourselves. The goal of Election is to bring the Elect into obedience, as Jesus obeyed God the Father. And the purpose for assembling ourselves together regularly throughout our lives is to enhance that process, it's never to become a substitute for Page 3 of 9

4 obedience. Then obedience should be voluntary on our part. As the Scripture says, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The sprinkling with blood for God's people goes way back to Moses. Then he took the book of the covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, All that the Lord has said, we will do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words. Out of Exodus 24 The life is in the blood, Jesus gave His blood so that we can live, and with this new life comes some ability to obey Him, and certainly a lot of desire to obey Him. And then he says, Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Then he said, Grace unto you and peace be multiplied 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in other words glory to God, a proper opening when we speak to God or speak for God. Thanksgiving, blessing, and praises, are always proper as an opening in our prayers. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name we can see the same Principle there. It's like Peter here, burst out a praise prayer. Page 4 of 9

5 The prayer of Danial comes to mind, Oh Lord, great and awesome God who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him. And Oh Lord, righteousness belongs to you. And Oh Lord to us belong shame of face, but to the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness. As Peter was saying, 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again. That makes Him our Father too. The Christian rebirth only happens by the act of God, But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name which were born not of blood, nor of the Will of the flesh, nor of the Will of man, but of God. John 1:13 Of His own Will begat He us, with the Word of truth. Out of James 1:18 God Fathered us, it's not of him who wills or runs, but on God who has mercy. Since He Fathered us, He will also deliver us. We,the Christians, are here because God, begat or Fathered us, and now we have a living hope, this ties into Election again. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren moreover whom He did predestinate them He also called, and whom He called them He also justified, and whom He justified then He also glorified. There's the whole sequence of events, the whole chain reaction of God. Since the living Page 5 of 9

6 God begat us, we have a living hope. In this world, everything is dying, decaying, or winding down, and anything we might hope for is dying, decaying, or winding down. I look at my backyard sometimes and realize that I'm only borrowing this for a while. Fifty years from now, somebody will probably have an apartment building right here, if the land isn't dying to me, then I am dying to it. A lot of people who were owing houses around here when I was 37 are now dead, they died to the hope of living long in their houses. Somebody else is now living in what was once their dream house. *But we have a living hope, and that is because of His abundant mercy. *We deserved judgment, but received mercy. *We were God's enemies, but He adopted us to be sons and daughters of God. And with being born into the right family comes privileges and inheritance. I hardly ever got anything along that line of inheritance so far. Also, an inheritance is not based on merit, getting an inheritance is not based on working hard or smart, but it's based on being born into the right family. Totally out of our control is, that we were born, where we were born, and when we were born. The same is true for the Spiritual birth. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Regeneration comes before we decide anything. When we decide to follow the calling, we are already alive, a dead man will hear nothing, and do nothing. Also, a dead god, or a dead christ could do nothing for us, that's why it's important not only to believe in Page 6 of 9

7 the resurrection of Jesus. We can believe that the earth is flat for example, but that does not make it so. We need to have a resurrected Christ. He has to be in fact, resurrected, if not, we are of all men, most miserable, and believing something does not make it so. The Word of Faith Movement is a false doctrine, teaching that our faith can create reality. But the Bible teaches that the true sons of Abraham, who is the father of those who will believe, they will attach their faith to what God says, and not what they speak. You can confess all day long that you are young again, but you will still be as old as you were before. Fact and truth, both are true, and the resurrection of Jesus is a historic fact. Josephus reports that He was witnessed by many eyewitnesses after His crucifixion, and some people didn't like that, so they came up with a swoon theory, or the theft theory, or the hallucination theory. But if He was not indeed raised from the dead, then our hope is an empty thing. Our inheritance is not going to materialize just because we believe it, or speak it, or confess it. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again, unto a lively 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. That's why this is the key question or fact, What think ye of Christ? And He asked His disciples the same questions. Who do you say I am? And today it would be all meaningless if He had not been resurrected. Page 7 of 9

8 He could be the best teacher, the best social reformer, the best example, the best lover of mankind, or the best martyr, but if He is not resurrected, sitting at the right hand of God having received all power, then our hope is a dead hope, and our inheritance is nothing but a pipe dream. Those people who do not believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their sins, according to the Scriptures, are most likely believing in another Gospel, or in another Jesus. The social gospel, of the liberals for example, portrays Him as a social reformer, as an example to follow, as a master of all human beings, teaching us to make this world a better place to live. But that is not a living hope, it's not a life giving Gospel, and it's not a life giving Jesus. If you or your church do not believe in the virgin birth, in the deity of Christ, in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for your sins, then most likely you will die in your sins. But those who believe in the right Jesus, the Scriptural Jesus, they will inherit the Kingdom of God. As Jesus said, Fear not little flock, because it's the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. And He will say, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Before we could do anything good or bad we were appointed for this. I can't wait, I really believe this. If someone says, People like us suffer from excessive religiosity, we should tell them, No we're enjoying it. It's a faith that was given to us, and if you don't have it, then ask God for it. Page 8 of 9

9 Well, more of this next time if the Lord Wills. This is tape #302 you can download it for free at also a paper on how to do Bible study, and hours of legally down loadable music. Until next time, Grace and peace to every soul, and as this song goes, Amazing Grace. Amen. Page 9 of 9