Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1. Last week we discussed the importance of being born again. This is something that only God can do FOR you. Jesus said:

John 3:6-7 (AP*) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I tell you, you MUST be BORN AGAIN.

So many people think “I’ll put off coming to Jesus, giving my life to Him until later in life”. Beloved, TODAY is the day of salvation. Consider these statistics:

There are about 7.8 BILLION people on the earth, and around 36 million have died this year. Every year, 40-50 million children are murdered through abortion. As people despair of their very lives, there have been 700,000 suicides. Others try to escape depression through drugs. 246 Billion Dollars were spent on illegal drugs so far this year.

We all need Jesus!
We all need God’s Spirit to give us life!

Author Mark Twain wrote before his death:

“A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;…they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; …those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. {Physical death comes, and} … they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence, a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.”

Both I and God – along with Peter – want better for you. As Peter looked at the failing world around him, and compared the glory of the Christian life with the darkness of the lost world, he sang praises unto God! Hear this wonderful Word from a lowly fisherman:

1 Peter 1:3-5 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, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Thank God For The Abundant Mercy Of Salvation!

Though the world – which lies in darkness – curses the name of God and of His Son Jesus, the Christian LIVES FOR God.

Word Study: Peter said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. That word “Blessed” is the Greek eulogētos, which means “to adore, to sing praises to”. The believer PRAISES the Heavenly Father. We PRAISE God for “our LORD Jesus Christ”.

Jesus is LORD.
Jesus is LORD of our salvation.
Jesus is LORD of our situation.
Jesus is LORD in our salutation.

Jesus is not a part-time LORD, but a full time LORD. And our LORD Jesus is driven by what drives God. He is driven by …

abundant mercy

Word Study: This is the Greek polys eleos, “many faceted, huge in volume mercy”. Salvation is GREAT because we have done nothing to earn nor deserve it. Some of you will receive this teaching in the mail, and toss it out as junk mail. You will reject Christ until you MUST have Him. If you are hurt, hospitalized, in a nursing home, then you want Jesus. But we all need Jesus every day. We are all born into this life separated from God by our sins. The Scripture says:

Romans 3:10-12, 23 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. … 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

God through Christ made the world complete and perfect. Scripture says:

Colossians 1:16-17 For by {Jesus} were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by {Jesus}, and for {Jesus}: 17 And {Jesus} is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Jesus was in the beginning with God, and was God (John 1:1-2). The Bible says:

John 1:3 All things were made by {Jesus}; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Our Lord made a perfect Man called Adam, and placed him in a perfect Place called Eden. Adam was given a perfect Wife called Eve, and given a perfect Job of tending a perfect Garden without weeds. Adam was given dominion over the world. Though Adam was NOT GOD, Adam was given the AUTHORITY of God, and given the POWER and OWNERSHIP of creation. God gave Adam perfection and happiness. Adam’s Best Friend was God, Who walked with him in the cool of the day.

But Adam did not hear God’s Word, did not obey God’s Word, and by his actions brought death on himself and on his progeny. The Bible says:

Romans 5:12 … by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Adam brought sin into the world. The children of Adam all sin, because they take after their father Adam. The inheritance of the sons of Adam is spiritual and physical death, separation from God both now and into eternity. The Bible says:

Romans 5:15 … through the offense of one {Adam} MANY be dead

People walk in darkness, apart from God, because of spiritual death and separation from God. But God was not satisfied with this. Our God is MERCIFUL and loving. So our God sent His Son Jesus. The Son Who was with the Father in the beginning and from eternity took upon Himself humanity.

Jesus did this to free whosoever believeth in Him from the chains of sin and Satan. The world without Christ is bound to DARKNESS, bound to SIN and SATAN. But God sent His Son into the world to be the Sunrise of a New Day. Jesus is the “Dawn from on High Who visited us” (Luke 1:78, CSB). Jesus Christ came into this world to:

Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

As the Holy Spirit made the eternal Son of God into perfect Human, the Holy Spirit turns imperfect humans into sons and daughters of God.

That’s what is meant by …

1 Peter 1:3 … hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

“begotten us again unto a lively hope”. Our Lord Jesus died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. “In Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). If you are born again, you are born again unto a “lively hope”. You do not live in sin nor for Satan, but for Jesus. The Christian walks with God:

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (ESV) For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Those who are saved “live for Him”, live for God. We do not walk following the darkness of this world, but walk with Jesus, one step at a time, one day at a time!

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Sons Of Adam Walk With The gods in Darkness.
Sons Of God Walk With The God In Light.

Peter begins to speak of the “inheritance” of the Born Again. You are Born Again …

1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

As Peter speaks of the Christian’s “inheritance”, most people think this is a reference to HEAVEN. It is not. It is a reference to the PRESENCE of God in your life. This is the GREATEST THING God can give anyone, to know that God is ALWAYS with you.

Illustrate: When Israel got ready to go into the Promised Land, God told them:

Exodus 33:2-3 (AP) “Go into the Promised Land. I will drive out your enemies, but I will not go with you, for you are STIFF NECKED. You will not worship Me – and if I stay with you, I’ll destroy you!”

When Moses heard this, he immediately prayed:

Exodus 33:15-16 (AP) “Lord, if you will not go with us, WITH ME into the Promised Land, Lord don’t send us there. If I have found Grace with You, Lord stay with me where ever we go!”

Moses learned that the greatest thing in life is to know God, to walk with God as we travel through this earth. When Peter spoke of the blessings of New Birth, of our “INHERITANCE”, he was not speaking of HEAVEN but of WALKING WITH GOD NOW AND FOREVER.

Word Study: The Christian walk with God is first of all “incorruptible”, which is the Greek aphthartos, meaning “not subject to decay”. Everything in life is corruptible. The Prophet said:

Job 17:1 (AP) My breath is corrupt, I am becoming extinct. The grave is ready for me.

Our bodies were all meant to break down. This is normal – though sometimes frightening. However, your LIFE need never cease. The Child of God is …

1 Peter 1:23 … born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, {aphthartos} by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

As God told Moses, “I will go with you”, He tells the Christian “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5). The Christian – male or female – are Priests before God. We represent God to man. Our inheritance, our Portion is God Himself (Numbers 18:20). God tells us:

“I am your Portion and your Inheritance”

King David, considered the Greatest King that Israel has ever had, was known as a man after God’s own heart. With all that he had, David said:

Psalm 16:5-6 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Word Study: Those who are “Born Again” have an inheritance that is “UNDEFILED”. This is the Greek amiantos, which means “unsoiled, deformed, or debased”. SAVED, WE DO NOT WALLOW IN SIN! Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, is

Hebrews 7:26 For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, {amiantos} separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Does God “Love The Sinner, BUT Hate The Sin”?

I have often heard “God LOVES the sinner, BUT HATES the sin”. Is that true? Jesus said:

John 8:12 … I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Those who are “Born Again” do not WALK IN DARKNESS. We do not PURSUE SIN. The Bible is VERY CLEAR on this point. The Apostle said:

1 John 1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Jesus did not tell the crippled man at Bethesda that He healed, “continue in your sin”. On healing that man, Jesus said:

John 5:14 (AP) … You have been made whole. SIN NO MORE, lest a WORST thing come on you!

When Jesus forgave the woman taken in adultery, He did not tell her to go back to the defiling bed. He told her,

John 8:11 (AP) … GO and SIN NO MORE!

When you do what God tells you NOT to do, this is SIN.

James 4:4 (CSB) You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God..

God NEVER says sin is all right, and neither should the Child of God. When you say:

“God loves the sinner, BUT hates the sin”

You are implying that God will love you REGARDLESS as to your sin. That’s not true! If it were true, there would have been no Noahic Flood. If it were true, there would be no Cross of Calvary, nor a Savior nailed to it. What the Bible actually teaches is…

“God loves the sinner AND hates the sin”

If you are a Child of God by faith in Christ, you have an UNDEFILED (amiantos) walk with Him. That doesn’t mean that you don’t sin. It does mean that – if and when you sin – you realize GOD DESPISES SIN. “God loves the sinner” by sending Christ to pay for our sins. AND “God hates sin”. So if you reject Christ and rest in sin, know this.

Know this.
Know this.
Know this.

Without Christ, you are presently UNDER THE WRATH OF GOD.

Psalm 5:4-5 (ESV) For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all evildoers.

Psalm 11:5 (ESV) The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Pastor John Piper clarifies this by saying:

“infinite disapproval is what the Bible means when it says God hates sinners. He infinitely disapproves of them. Sin is not sinful except as committed by sinful hearts. Sin is an expression of anti-God, human corruption in human hearts. Sinful volitions are owing to sinful hearts. Sin doesn’t just hang out there with its own existence; it is in hearts or it is nothing. Sins do not suffer in hell; sinners suffer in hell. I wonder what people who make that misleading statement believe about hell because {God} is not punishing sin in hell — {God} is punishing sinners in hell.”

The clearest statement on salvation is given by our Lord Jesus. Read with me:

John 3:16-21 (ESV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

There are many who will not receive Jesus because they want to DO WICKED THINGS and ABIDE IN THE DARKNESS. Humanism teaches us that God loves us just the way we are. Christianity teaches us that God loves us through Christ, and through Christ draws us FROM sin and INTO the Light of God. “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil”. Those who reject Christ as Lord and Savior are “CONDEMNED ALREADY”.

You cannot be a Christian and wink at sin!
You cannot be a Christian and be “woke”!
The “Broke” are “Woke”!
You are BORN AGAIN, dear Christian.

1 Peter 1:4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Word Study: If you are a Child of God, your Inheritance, your walk with God, “fadeth not away”. This is the Greek amarantos, which means “perennial, that which endures not just for a season, but starts now and lasts forever”. This word is found only here in the Bible, but it emphasizes to us as believers though life has its ups and downs – our relationship with God in Christ is never ending. We have a place “reserved in heaven”. God has a place at the Table for every one of His Children. Jesus promised:

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. When I think of the “mansion” that the Lord has for us in Heaven, I think not of a place with four walls, but a glorified body to hold our eternal souls. We will be given a “mansion”, a place to be, because we are members of God’s Family. We are His Children, both now and forever.

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.*

I love the word “kept” in this text. This is the Greek phroureō, which means “to guard, to protect by a military guard, to watch over the protect from hostile invasion”. God watches over His Child.

Are you His Child? If not, today is the day to call on Him. Jesus Christ died on Calvary to make payment for your sins. He died for you, to bring you into the Family of God. Will you believe on Him? Jesus is with us. He is calling. Will you come? Will you cry out to Him, and beg Him heal you? If you call upon Him, you have His promise. He will send the Holy Spirit and through Him effect your New Birth. Blessed be the Name of Jesus! Amen and Amen.

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