New Birth
Series: Vision Series 2024 - New Life
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 4th February 2024
Passage: 1 Peter 1:1-16
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Well, good morning, everyone, and welcome to our Vision Series for 2024.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:12 I'd be grateful if you had your Bibles open, but also the St Paul's app, which has an outline
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 for today's message.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:25 In the latter half of 2009, I received a letter from RMS, New South Wales Roads, requesting
00:00:25 --> 00:00:32 that I front up to a vehicle inspection station with the vehicle that I'd purchased about
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 18 months earlier.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:41 The letter stated that there was, for RMS, some concern that my vehicle wasn't adequately
00:00:41 --> 00:00:48 repaired from a major accident that it had had earlier, something that I was unaware
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 of at the time.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:55 I wasn't concerned because it was a great vehicle, no issues at all, drove really,
00:00:56 --> 00:00:56 really well.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:03 I arrived at the inspection station, handed over the vehicle, the keys, confident of where
00:01:03 --> 00:01:03 I stood.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:11 After about 45 minutes of sitting there twiddling my thumbs, two inspectors came in, sat either
00:01:11 --> 00:01:15 side of me, and gave me the classic good news, bad news report.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:24 Well, the good news is your vehicle is in fantastic order and certainly roadworthy.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 The bad news is that this is not your vehicle.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:35 This is what is known as a rebirthed vehicle.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:41 They explained that the rebirthed vehicle is a stolen vehicle.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:51 Someone purchases what is called a repairable write-off, most likely from interstate, and instead of
00:01:51 --> 00:01:56 going through the costs of repairing the repairable write-off, they steal a vehicle that is exactly the
00:01:56 --> 00:02:05 same and transfer the numbers from the repairable write-off to the stolen vehicle, and then sell it
00:02:05 --> 00:02:09 as a repaired vehicle.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 That way they don't go through the costly process of repairing it.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 It looks good.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:21 In fact, it looks exactly the same as what the original vehicle did on the outside before the accident,
00:02:22 --> 00:02:30 but all the identifying markers of the original vehicle are gone, and the stolen vehicle
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 are attached to it.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:38 And then, of course, the original vehicle that they purchased interstate is chopped up and discarded
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 or thrown in the bottom of the Parramatta River.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:50 I was then told by the inspectors to sit tight as major crimes were on their way.
00:02:50 --> 00:03:02 And four officers turned up, and within two hours, my vehicle, I watched it being loaded on the
00:03:02 --> 00:03:08 back of a police truck, and with it, $25 gone.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:16 They said, the vehicle that you have insured is most likely in the bottom of the Parramatta
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 River right now.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:22 That's the good news, because if you had an accident with this vehicle, you weren't insured
00:03:22 --> 00:03:22 for it.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:25 All this happened.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:33 The good news is that as a result of my case and the evidence that I gave, you can now buy
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 a second-hand vehicle with confidence.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:43 There is now a national register that identifies the entire history of every vehicle.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 You're welcome.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:54 This all happened on the day before our second child was born.
00:03:55 --> 00:04:00 One day, I'm dealing with rebirthing, and the next day, I'm dealing with an actual birth.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:09 And when she was born, the first time I looked at her, I went, oh yeah, she's ours.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:15 Immediately identifiable as ours, belonging to us.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:25 At birth, we are all identified genetically as we share the genetic makeup of our biological
00:04:25 --> 00:04:26 parents.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:31 We also inherit an ethnic makeup, depending on where you're born.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 You're also likely to have a national identity.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:41 And certainly for many years, as you were growing up, you share the socioeconomic identity
00:04:41 --> 00:04:42 of your parents.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:50 That is, our birth identifies us in every possible way.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:57 And as we just read, Nick read out to us, Peter describes becoming a Christian as being
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 reborn, a new birth.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:11 This new birth doesn't change who we are ethnically, nationally, genetically, socioeconomically, but
00:05:11 --> 00:05:18 it does change our lives in such a way that we are fundamentally different people.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 Fundamentally different people.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:30 You may not look different on the outside, but you are fundamentally different on the inside.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 Totally different on the inside.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 And that's what this vision series is all about.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:46 Over the course of this term, we are building up towards Easter and the celebration of the
00:05:46 --> 00:05:50 death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:55 And as we build up to Easter, I've kind of reversed everything.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 I can't kind of change the date for Easter.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:02 As we build up to Easter, we're going to be looking at the resurrection.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:08 And specifically, the resurrection impact on our lives now.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:10 What it does for us.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:15 And we're going to be going through sections of 1 and 2 Peter as we do that.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:21 And for the first four weeks, I'm focusing on the first 16 verses of 1 Peter.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:25 So you're going to see that Bible reading again and again and again.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:30 Again, if you get your Bibles open and have it there with you, that'd be fantastic.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:34 Today, I want to lay the foundation of the new birth.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 What is the new birth?
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 What does it do?
00:06:37 --> 00:06:41 How does it grow in us?
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 And who makes the new birth possible?
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 That's kind of the three points for today.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 So what's the new birth?
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 Verse 3, just read out to us.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:58 In his great mercy, he has given us new birth.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:11 All Christians, that is, everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ, are described as being reborn.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 It's a new birth.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:19 That is, every Christian is born again.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 That term is not just for a certain kind of Christian.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 You know, there's Christians and then there's born again Christians.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:31 That's not biblical in any way whatsoever.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 All Christians are born again.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:45 And we're not told much here about what the new birth is that the Christian has received.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:55 We know from other parts of the Bible that the new birth is a new life and a new vitality.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:59 New life and a new vitality.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 When a person is born again, they experience new life.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:08 That is, we are told in Ephesians that we are spiritually dead.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:13 And being born again, spiritual life comes into you.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 God puts his very life into us.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 His eternal life into us.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:25 And the new birth comes to us in different kinds of ways.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:30 That is, there's no one type of experience that everyone must have.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:36 For some, their experience of new birth is like lightning bolt.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:41 And you can identify, which someone like I can identify,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:47 on the day, 30th of May, 1993, when the lightning bolt struck.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:54 For some, it's a gradual process where it's hardly even recognisable.
00:08:54 --> 00:09:01 So it's important not to insist that it happens in a certain way.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:07 Even though the new birth comes to us in different ways,
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 and at times this new birth might be subtle,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:16 it is nevertheless astounding and powerful.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:22 The New Testament, the original New Testament word for it,
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 is palagenesia.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 Palagenesia.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 It means regeneration.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:35 The book of Titus tells us that when we are born again,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 we experience regeneration.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 And Titus uses the word palagenesia.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:47 In Matthew 19, verse 28, Jesus says this,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:51 Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things,
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 what Jesus is talking about there in Matthew 19,
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 is the end of all things.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 When he rules the universe,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 God's power will come into the world
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 and renew the entire world.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 He'll make it all right.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 Everything that's wrong, everything that's stained,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 everything that's evil, everything that's deformed,
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 broken about this world will be fixed in that moment,
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 in a twinkling of an eye by Jesus Christ
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 at his second coming.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 Death and evil and suffering will be gone.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 All tears, sadness, anxiety will be wiped away.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 And despite all the superpowers and the wealth
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 and the technology of the world,
00:10:35 --> 00:10:40 we cannot fix it.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 So think of what is required
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 to bring about that kind of renewal
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 in our world.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 And Jesus describes that time
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 as the renewal of all things
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 and he uses the Greek word,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 palogenesia,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 in Matthew 19.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 So the Apostle Paul here,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 sorry, the Apostle Peter here,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 in 1 Timothy,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 sorry, the Apostle Paul,
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 has the audacity to use the exact same Christian word
00:11:21 --> 00:11:25 to describe the new birth
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 of the Christian in Titus.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 Palogenesia.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 The renewal of all things.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 The tremendous power
00:11:37 --> 00:11:41 that renews all things at the end
00:11:41 --> 00:11:45 comes into the life of the Christian now
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 in order to effect rebirth
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 through faith in Jesus Christ.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 Can I just say,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:53 therefore,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 if you are a Christian,
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 you, like me,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 are putting up with a whole heap of stuff
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 in our lives that we don't have to.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 The potential for change
00:12:11 --> 00:12:17 in our lives is astounding.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 Incomprehensibly astounding
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 because that power
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 is present right now.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:33 This is the new life we get
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 with the new birth.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 So particularly,
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 where does this new birth operate
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 in the life of the Christian?
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 What does it do?
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 The new birth
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 operates
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 especially in the hopes
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 of the Christian,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 which is what we read there
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 in 1 Peter 3.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 The new birth,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 the reason the new birth
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 changes our,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 changes the Christian so much
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 is because it changes
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 our hopes so much.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 If you change a person's hopes,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 you change everything about them.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 Back in verse 3 again,
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 Praise be the God and Father
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 In his great mercy,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 he has given us new birth
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 into a living hope
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 through the resurrection
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 of Jesus Christ from the dead
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 and into an inheritance
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 that can never perish,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 spoil,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 or fade.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 This inheritance is kept
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 in heaven for you.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 The direction
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 of every person's life
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 is set
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 on what they hope
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 the most.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 So if you offer
00:13:46 --> 00:13:46 a person
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 a life-giving,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 imperishable hope,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 then their life
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 is changed forever.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 All of us,
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 every human being,
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 has certain desires
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 and expectations.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 And there are desires
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 like meaning,
00:14:08 --> 00:14:08 significance,
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 security,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:09 purpose,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 and then you work out
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 what you think
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 will fulfill
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 those desires.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 And whatever we believe in
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 to fulfill those desires
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 is what we set
00:14:23 --> 00:14:23 our hopes
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 and our hearts on.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 Which is another way
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 of saying,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 we are all hope-driven
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 people.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 And our hearts,
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 in order to
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 fulfill our hopes,
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 might be set
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 on our careers,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 might be set
00:14:44 --> 00:14:44 on money,
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 might be set
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 on accomplishments,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 it might be set
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 on status,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 it might be set
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 on love,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 romance,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 beauty,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 our children,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 might be a political
00:14:54 --> 00:14:54 hope,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 might be social
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 causes.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:59 every single person
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 chooses something
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 to believe in
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 that will fill
00:15:03 --> 00:15:03 their hopes.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 We are
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 unavoidably
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 hope-based
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 creatures.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 Proverbs 13,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 12,
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 in the Old Testament
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 tells us
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 that hope deferred
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 makes the heart
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 sick.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:24 we experience
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 our present
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 in radically
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 different ways
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 depending on
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 what our future
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 hope actually
00:15:30 --> 00:15:30 is.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 Imagine
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 I have
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 two people
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 and I
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 give them
00:15:40 --> 00:15:40 the exact
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 same
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 pair of
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 scissors
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 and I
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 say,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 I want you
00:15:45 --> 00:15:45 to cut
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 the church
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 grass
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 with these
00:15:49 --> 00:15:49 scissors.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 Pull one
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 of them
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 aside.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 Their
00:15:54 --> 00:15:54 experience
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 of that,
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 I mean I
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 heard the
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 groans already,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 you know like,
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 their experience
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 of that
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 cutting the
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 grass with a
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 pair of
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 scissors
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 will be
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 quite
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 different
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 based on
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 the conversation
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 I have with
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 each of them
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 privately.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 I say to
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 one of them
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 at the end
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 of this
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 job,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 when you're
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 all finished,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 I'm going
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 to give
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 you $20.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 to the
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 other
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 person,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 I say
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 at the
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 end of
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 this
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 job,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 when you're
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 all
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 finished,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 I'm going
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 to give
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 you $200.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 One
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 is going
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 to whistle
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 when they
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 work,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 the other
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 will not,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 depending on
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 the end
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 goal.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 And when
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 they have a
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 break,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 one of them
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 is going
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 to go,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 I can't
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 believe we're
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 doing this
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 for this.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 Like,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 this is,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 you look at
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 the conditions
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 we're dealing
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 with here,
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 the other
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 one's going
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 to go,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 I don't
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 care that
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 it's going
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 to be
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 30 odd
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 degrees today,
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 I don't
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 care.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 Hope makes
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 all the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 difference
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 of our
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 current
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 experience.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 My point
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 is we
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 are hope
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 driven and
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 the new
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 birth changes
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 our hopes.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 The new
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 birth gives
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 us a hope
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 that is
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 imperishable.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 And that
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 is the
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 contrast with
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 every other
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 hope that
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 this world
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 offers us.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 It
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 perishes,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 it fades,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 it spoils.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 Put your
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 hope in
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 a career,
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 you'll have
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 to retire.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 Put your
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 hope in
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 money,
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 you're never
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 secure.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 Hope in
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 your family,
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 it's
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 potentially
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 the last
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 one left.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 So how
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 does this
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 new hope
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 grow in
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 us?
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 How do
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 we wrench
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 our hearts
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 away from
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 hopes that
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 will fade
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 and perish
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 and put it
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 into a
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 hope that
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 will never
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 perish,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 fade or
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 disappoint in
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 any way?
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 How do
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 you make
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 that shift?
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 There are
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 multiple ways
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 that that
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 happens in
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 the New
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 Testament,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 but the
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 main way
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 that 1
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 Peter talks
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 about growing
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 in new
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 life and
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 new hope
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 and therefore
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 to become
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 more like
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 Jesus in
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 character,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 more stable
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 in life,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 more loving
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 and joyful,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 the more
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 shaped into
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 his image
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 and his
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 priorities.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 The 1
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 Peter speaks
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 about one
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 way primarily
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 that that is
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 affected in
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 your life.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 The new
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 birth grows
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 in you
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 and the
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 hope grows
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 in you
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 and it's
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 surprising for
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 us.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 It's
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 suffering.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 Suffering.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 In fact,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 I think I
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 would declare,
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 I'm assuming
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 someone else
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 would say the
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 same,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 that apart
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 from the
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 book of
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 Job in
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 the Old
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 Testament,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 1 and 2
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 Peter,
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 but particularly
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 1 Peter,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 are the
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 greatest
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 books of
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 the theology
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 of suffering
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 in the
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 Bible.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 Suffering.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 Now,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 I'm going to
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 say a lot
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 more about
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 that in a
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 few weeks,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 so I don't
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 really want
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 to steal
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 all that
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 thunder now,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 but here's
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 a taste.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 Verse 6,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 In all
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 this you
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 greatly
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 rejoice,
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 though now
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 for a little
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 while you
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 may have
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 had to
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 suffer grief
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 in all
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 kinds of
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 trials.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 These have
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 come so
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 that the
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 proven
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 genuineness
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 of your
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 faith,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 of greater
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 worth than
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 gold,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 which perishes
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 even though
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 refined by
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 fire,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 may result
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 in praise,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 glory,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 and honour
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 when Jesus
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 Christ is
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 revealed.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 The first
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 words of
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 verse 6
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 say that
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 the Christian
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 rejoices in
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 their
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 hope.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 rejoices in
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 their hope.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 The word
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 is in
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 actual fact
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 a present
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 tense.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 You're
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 rejoicing in
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 your hope
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 now.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 What makes
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 that remarkable
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 is that the
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 words suffer
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 grief are
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 connected to
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 it.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 And the
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 words suffer
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 grief actually
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 mean to be
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 in agony,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 lots of
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 pain,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 pain.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 It doesn't
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 say you
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 used to
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 rejoice but
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 unfortunately
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 now you're
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 suffering
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 agony.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 Nor does
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 it say that
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 because you've
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 got lots to
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 rejoice about,
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 you're not
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 actually really
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 in pain,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 you know,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 get over
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 yourselves,
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 move on,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 take some
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 Panadol,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 have a lie
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 down,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 it's not
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 really that
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 bad.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 both the
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 feeling of
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 the agony
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 and the
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 rejoicing
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 are both
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 present
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 tense.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 They are
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 concurrent
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 activities.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 And what
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 1 Peter
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 says here,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 when we do
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 both of those
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 things at the
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 same time,
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 it's like
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 putting gold
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 into a
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 furnace.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:54 it refines
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 you and
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 grows you
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 as the
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 suffering
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 drives you
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 deeper and
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 deeper and
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 deeper into
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 your real
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 hope,
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 the hope
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 that can
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 never perish,
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 spoil or
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 fade.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 And yet,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 this is
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 almost never
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 our view
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 of suffering.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:13 in a
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 day and
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 a culture
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 that suggests
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 our personal
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 happiness
00:21:16 --> 00:21:19 is of
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 the highest
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 importance,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 then anything
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 hard,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 anything
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 difficult,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 anything
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 unpleasant
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 is considered
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 bad,
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 wrong and
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 evil.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 And it's
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 God's job
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 to take it
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 away from
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 me in
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 order that I
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 might be
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 able to
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 rejoice.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:40 we
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 therefore
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 cannot
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 possibly
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 imagine
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 because
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 we've
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 been so
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 marinated
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 in such
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 a culture,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 we cannot
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 possibly
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 imagine
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 why God
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 would allow
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 suffering and
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 hardship
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 come into
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 my life
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 at all.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 So,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 imagine a
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 forestry
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 worker.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 They have
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 marked out a
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 bunch of
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 trees,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 they're going
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 to cut
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 them down
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 and they're
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 going to
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 get set
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 off to
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 the sawmill
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 and then
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 they come
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 in to do
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 their job
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 and they
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 notice at
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 the top
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 of one of
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 this tree
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 they're about
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 to cut
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 down,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 there's
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 this bird,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 a lovely
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 bird,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 making a
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 nest,
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 it's building
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 a nest
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 in the top
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 of the
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 tree in
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 the forest
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 where it
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 goes,
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 you know,
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 so they
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 bang on
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 the tree,
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 make lots
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 of noise
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 to get the
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 bird to
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 move on
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 and much
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 to their
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 delight the
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 bird flies
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 and moves
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 to the next
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 tree.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 Oh,
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 starts
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 bang on
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 that tree,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 bang,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 bang,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 bang,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 lots of
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 noise,
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 get the
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 bird to
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 move on,
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 bird moves
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 on to the
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 third tree,
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 oh,
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 here comes
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 the forestry
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 work of
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 the bird,
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 what is
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 wrong with
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 this person?
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 Like,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 seriously,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 give me a
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 break here,
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 I'm just
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 trying to
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 build my
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 nest,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 trying to
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 raise a
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 family,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 you know,
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 like,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 what is
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 wrong with
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 this forest?
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 Bang,
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 bang,
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 bang on
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 the tree
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 again and
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 the bird
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 gets up
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 and flies
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 off and
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 lands on
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 a rock,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 starts to
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 build the
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 nest and
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 notices the
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 forestry
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 worker leaves
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 them alone.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 The older
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 we get,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 we realise
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 that every
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 tree,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 every hope
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 will come
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 down.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 will
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 come down.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 We don't
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 believe it
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 when we're
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 young.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 When we're
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 young,
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 we think
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 that whatever
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 tree that
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 we try to
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 plant our
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 nest in
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 will be
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 there all
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 the time.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 As you
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 get older,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 you realise
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 every tree,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 every hope
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 will eventually
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 come down.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 And yet
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 every generation
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 thinks it'll
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 be able to
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 do what no
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 other generation
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 has been
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 able to do
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 before it.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:57 Our hearts
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 are not
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 designed to
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 be completely
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 fulfilled by
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 anything or
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 everything in
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 this life.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 We simply
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 don't realise
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 the greatness
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 of our souls
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 and the depth
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 of our desires
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 and our hopes.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 And the best
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 thing that God
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 can do for us
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 while we live
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 in this body,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 in this world,
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 before Jesus
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 comes back,
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 is to bang
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 on every tree
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 that we build
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 our lives on.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 until we
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 reach the
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 solid rock,
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 the sure
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 foundation that
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 is the
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 gospel of
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 Jesus Christ
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 alone.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 An
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 imperishable
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 hope,
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 a greater
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 hope,
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 a sure
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 foundation.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 The worst
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 thing that can
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 happen for us
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 is to be left
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 to our own
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 devices to
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 build our
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 nests at the
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 top of the
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 tree,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 build our
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 lives on
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 something that
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 will in short
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 time come
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 crushing down.
00:24:54 --> 00:25:01 So who
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 then makes
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 this new
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 birth
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 possible?
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 How can
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 Peter say
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 that if you're
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 a Christian,
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 this new
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 birth,
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 you have a
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 new birth,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 you have a
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 living and
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 perishable
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 hope?
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 How's that
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 possible?
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 How can
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 he say
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 that when
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 we know
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 of ourselves,
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 we constantly
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 fail God,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 we fail each
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 other,
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 how can
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 he say,
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 we even
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 fail ourselves,
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 how can
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 we possibly
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 have that
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 kind of
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 hope,
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 sure hope?
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 None of
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 us have
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 loved God
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 and loved
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 our neighbours
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 ourselves all
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 of the time.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 We haven't
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 done it,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 we never
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 will.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 How can
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 Peter promise
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 us a hope
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 that will
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 never,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 ever perish,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 never come
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 crashing down,
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 never fade?
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 Verse 10,
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 concerning this
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 salvation,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 the prophets
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 who spoke
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 of the
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 grace that
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 was to
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 come to
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 you,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 searched
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 intently
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 and with
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 the greatest
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 care,
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 trying to
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 find out
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 the time
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 and the
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 circumstances
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 to which
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 the Spirit
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 of Christ
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 in them
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 was pointing
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 when he
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 predicted
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 the sufferings
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 of the
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 Messiah
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 and the
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 glories
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 that would
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 follow.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 It was
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 revealed to
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 them that
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 they were
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 not serving
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 themselves
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 but you
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 when they
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 spoke of
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 the things
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 that have
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 now been
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 told you
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 by those
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 who have
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 preached
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 the gospel
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 to you
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 by the
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 Holy Spirit
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 sent from
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 heaven.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 Even
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 angels
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 long to
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 look into
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 these
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 things.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 What is
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 the gospel
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 that the
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 prophets
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 revealed
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 centuries
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 before
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 and that
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 the apostles
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 preached?
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 What is
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 the gospel?
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 It is
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 that Jesus
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 Christ
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 suffered.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 He
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 suffered.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 The
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 Son of
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 God,
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 the
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 Creator
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 of all
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 things
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 came
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 as
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 the
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 rescuer
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 and
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 the
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 ruler
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 of all
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 of
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 humanity
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 in
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 weakness.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 Not in
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 triumph,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 in
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 weakness.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 He died
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 on a
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 Roman
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 cross
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 for the
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 sin
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 and the
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 failure
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 of
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 humanity.
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 He
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 died
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 the
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 death
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 that we
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 should
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 die.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 We,
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 the
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 weak
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 and the
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 perishing,
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 have a
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 glorious
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 and
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 imperishable
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 hope
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 in
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 Jesus
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 Christ,
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 the
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 glorious
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 and
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 the
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 eternal
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 one
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 because
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 he
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 perished
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 in
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 shame
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 for
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 us.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 Our
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 new
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 birth
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 and
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 glorious
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 hope
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 are not
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 based on
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 our
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 performance.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 It is
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 based on
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 the
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 performance
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 of the
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 imperishable
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 one,
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 the one
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 who died
00:27:33 --> 00:27:35 but rose
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 again
00:27:35 --> 00:27:37 and lives
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 forever
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 and reigns
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 forever.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 The
00:27:42 --> 00:27:44 Christian's
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 ultimate
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 glory
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 is
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 assured
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 because
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 he
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 emptied
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 himself
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 of his
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 glory.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 So it's
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 all his
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 work.
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 So what
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 are we
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 called to
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 do then
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 in order
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 to build
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 this hope?
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 If you're
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 a Christian,
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 what do
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 you do?
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 It says
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 there that
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 the angels
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 never get
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 tired of
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 looking at
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 what Jesus
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 has done
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 for us.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 In fact,
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 the word
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 there
00:28:16 --> 00:28:18 means,
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 the word
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 too long
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 there means
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 to lust
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 for something.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 The angels
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 are lusting
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 after the
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 work of
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 Jesus.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 That is,
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 there's nothing
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 greater for
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 an angel
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 to do
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 than to
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 look at
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 and ponder
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 more and
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 desire more
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 what Jesus
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 Christ has
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 done for
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 humanity
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 in salvation.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 I find
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 that astounding
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 because it's
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 a present
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 lusting.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 What I find
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 astounding
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 about that
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 is that
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 how long
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 have angels
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 been around
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 for?
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 people,
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 I'm
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 assuming
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 they're
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 around
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 for a
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 long
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 time,
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 like a
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 lot longer
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 than a
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 human
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 being,
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 you know,
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 for millennia.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 and it
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 says here
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 that their
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 hearts
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 never grow
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 weary
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 of the
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 gospel.
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 Searching
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 it out,
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 its
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 implications,
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 seeing
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 connections,
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 never grow
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 weary of
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 it.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 And that
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 is how we
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 heal our
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 hearts
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 of the
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 despair
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 that we
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 have.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 keep
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 looking at
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 the
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 gospel
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 and his
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 living
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 hope
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 will
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 grow
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 in our
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 hearts
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 and it
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 will
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 change
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 us
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 more
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 and more
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 into the
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 likeness
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 and the
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 priorities
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 of Jesus
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 Christ.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 Never
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 get tired
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 of the
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 gospel.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 Lust
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 after the
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 gospel.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Now,
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 I'm also
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 mindful that
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 not everyone
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 here is a
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 Christian,
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 tuning in
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 either building
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 or tuning
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 in online.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 Very
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 mindful of
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 that and
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 you are
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 very welcome.
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 We
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 love to
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 have you
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 here,
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 that you
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 might
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 discover
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 something
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 of this
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 living
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 hope.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 And I've
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 realised that
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 I've covered
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 a huge
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 topic in
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 a very
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 short
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 time.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 I've
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 got a
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 few more
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 weeks to
00:30:12 --> 00:30:12 go.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 And I've
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 made
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 statements
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 and claims
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 that I
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 haven't
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 unpacked
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 that are
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 very worthy
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 of being
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 unpacked
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 more and
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 more.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 I'm aware
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 that on
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 any given
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 Sunday,
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 we are
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 all at
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 different
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 stages of
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 this journey
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 of understanding
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 the gospel
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 of Jesus
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 Christ.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 And so
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 maybe I've
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 made some
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 assumptions
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 today that
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 are not
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 your
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 assumptions.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 And I
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 would love
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 to invite
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 you to
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 explore that
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 more with
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 us.
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 Have the
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 conversations
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 about that.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 At the end
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 of this
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 month,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 we are
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 starting a
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 seven-part
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 course called
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 Alpha that
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 explores the
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 big questions
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 of life
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 and the
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 Christian
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 faith.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 It's a
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 relaxed,
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 it's a
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 safe place
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 to explore
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 deeper,
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 and I
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 want to
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 just invite
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 you to
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 be part
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 of it.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 Get your
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 phone and
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 get to
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 the QR
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 code and
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 be part
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 of that,
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 to explore
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 with us
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 what this
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 new birth
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 is,
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 what this
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 imperishable
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 hope in
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 Jesus
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 Christ is.
00:31:16 --> 00:31:20 But maybe
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 you've already
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 taken the
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 steps of
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 exploring it,
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 but today
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 it's pressing
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 in on you.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 Pressing in
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 on you.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 God is,
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 by his
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 spirit,
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 pressing on
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 you to
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 take that
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 next step.
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 Take the
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 next step of
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 coming to
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41 Jesus and
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 receiving new
00:31:42 --> 00:31:45 birth today.
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 If that's
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 you,
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 I'd be
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 delighted to
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 have a
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 conversation
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 with you
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 afterwards.