Since Being Saved (Part B)

This is all true of him everything that we learn about him is dependable. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. There's no more after him because if you go anywhere past him you just going to find more of him. He is it. It's not as though there is a terminus where okay then and everything stops know it's just him forever in its final form the gospel of Jesus Christ is now the word of God that we have. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick continues his study that is called since being say this is coming from first Peter chapter 1 faith plus work equals grace because as Peter says right here through the spirit so let's try to put this in context a little bit now looking back again at verse 22.

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit. That is what is going on with the Christian life in sincere love for the brethren is so easy to talk about loving the brethren, if it were that easy.

He would not have written about they could have just passed on because he could've said to himself. If it were that easy was no need to write to Christians to tell Christians to love Christians they going to do that. That's what we do.

I wish I wish seeing that you have purified your hearts.

Therefore love seeing that this one thing is true of you therefore see if something else is true of you that you love. Why do so many people fake love because they know that is valuable, otherwise they wouldn't fake it by faking it.

We admit that this we needed first Corinthians 13 verses one through to where all familiar with this. We who believe in. Incidentally, if you're not a believer you should be informed that this section is better of Peter.

This first one is written to believers were being persecuted for being believers. He doesn't have unbelievers in mind, directly, but that does not mean that an unbeliever coming to this passage of Scripture is left out. You see, for example, if I were to's preach to a room of people who were much more intelligent than I the whole room that could be happening right now. It is funny. I don't have to be as intelligent as you all I have to do is activate your intelligence to get you to use it in the presence of God. That's called anointing to bring the anointing in us the same with you. If you have a's personal coworker or family member that is more intelligent than you and you tend to be intimidated, don't be. You've got truth on your side and all you need to do is activate their intelligent intelligence to make contact with the truth. Now that's not easy but it is possible and it happens otherwise intelligent people would not get saved and they do you looking at one goal. Look at the guy next to you. First Corinthians 13 though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing God says you nothing if you don't have the love you say you are a believer.

Having said you believe. Therefore let's see it. God says you not only annoying, but you nothing without this love that he talks about.

We insist that we are saved, but do we do it without love. First Peter 48 going to get back to this above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Love does things that nothing else can do. Why, what is the thing with this love nest two types of love is talking about here two different words. Look with me nice as love one another fervently with a pure heart. Here above that he says in sincere love of the brethren. The first love in sincere love of the brethren. This filing will, but the second time he uses it loving one another fervently with a pure heart is agape a distinct feature of agape is its source see people that are not saved do not have agape love. They have a common law they can have love for family love the profession love for each other.

They can have romantic love. Love is also out of love that exist without God.as ordained. This is called common grace. He is allowed certain things to be available even to unbelievers. Our society would fall apart. It's common it's not spiritual. Agape love comes from him. It is an exotic.

It's not like a dandelion that can grow without cultivation it needs care and attention it needs work and it's constantly in need of work in some senses because of our flesh. It is a most fragile love, because someone will irritate us will offend us, someone will lead us down, someone will enrage us and suddenly that love that we boasted of.

We are groping for we can't find it. We get angry with God for allowing us to be in such corner, God really doesn't have much to say when we find ourselves there because he said it already. All through his word and he wants us now to work it but it's painful. It's not natural it's spiritual so we calibrate our love by what the Scripture says love suffers long and is kind how many of you are not kind when you feel offended or moody or whatever else your love is gone. The Bible does not give you a pass. There is also a hook. I didn't know you stepped on your toes okay.the love is doing everyone now love does not envy well if you were to tell me you are one of the greatest bicycle riders in the world I would applaud if you were to tell me you are one of the greatest pastors in the world. I get envious. You see, it's okay.

It's okay for others to be successful long as they are not more successful than where the and then in our sphere is precious to us and so this love takes works, so that when I'm standing in a group and someone seems to shine brighter than I do in an area that I should shine brightly in. Now I'm sensing envy well up inside of me and not love and that's gotta be dealt with by me. Nobody can deal with that.

But me in praying is not really make much of a difference because God is saying, not prayer time swing the sword time. Now it is time to work, break out your tools and work.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, then what work that's what so love suffers long and is kind love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up see somebody proud product out of them so much I love that I love not. Agape love. I must add that God is no advocate of halfhearted anything that comes very easy to all of us does it not start a project we don't finish it because it's the thrill is gone, is what we thought that's why contracts exist because of the flesh, but God still does not come along and say that's okay. I like it. James chapter 1 verse eight, a double minded man unstable in all his ways. Hosea 7 verse 80 from has mixed himself amongst the peoples of the unbelievers, either from is a cake on turn his half-baked Donna once, but the other side is raw is no good like that love serves as evidence of our salvation is pretty serious. Is it not, what if you were to say I'm a Christian, you don't love anybody the Christian Way, God comes along and says no you not then what happens, you better scramble to fix that.

John 1335 by this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. You know I can preach a good sermon like I'm preaching right now. Incidentally, that I don't have pride.

I just know truthful I could of men could stand in the pulpit and preach a wonderful sermon and at the end of the sermon at the greeting line somebody come and say some loveless things to him. Nonetheless, it is a bizarre thing and it happens and you can't problem in the back of the head as they walking by, though you might want to cite how how do we account for this. How do people sit under sermons about love and get in 30 seconds later not do it because the wars on and then we have very serious first John chapter 3, we get the first John, John, you know, a subtitle for the first John's first letter the paddle of the apostle is he's going to beat this not out of every body was wrong and he's right for knowing it. First John 314 we know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. That's pretty serious stuff is saying you don't have this purification that my brother Peter is talking about. I'm not saying that you have the feel of agape love is in care too much about your feelings cares about your obedience. You knowing what right and wrong is in submitting to it.

Not just acknowledging without this without this there can be no repair work. We become self-righteous, high-minded, and scorned verse 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible through the word of God which lives and abides forever. He says having been born again.

You know that's not common phrase in the Bible is a different Greek word than what Jesus uses in John's Gospel Jesus. The words he uses for born-again means born from above, Peter uses the word that means born again begotten again connected just can't separate them.

Peter is quoting his master when Jesus spoke he spoke in the Aramaic, not the Greek. John wrote he wrote in the Greek and he put it into the agape out of the for example love into the agape filer but not in the arm anywhere going on a rabbit trail that was fun for me but probably confusing for you. My point is, he says you must be born again. Nicodemus was a man of pure religion. Jesus called in the teacher of Israel. Yet Jesus also told him that he was not good enough that way for God is not good enough that you're so religious you have to be born again. You must be touched by God with new life spiritual life.

First Peter chapter 1, wherein now verse three Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again same Greek word translated a little differently to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The Bible deals with death and life misery and victory deals with it again.

First Peter chapter 2 as newborn babes, desire pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Peter was not a civilian all raised to be a scholar. He was a fisherman.

He came to read and study. When Jesus entered his life and he always keeps the word in front of us because he knows what happens when that doesn't take place and is not worth it is not good, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible. This is rebirth produced. Now there are physical laws and there are spiritual laws and just as there are natural laws that result in being born there spiritual laws that result in being born again.

They are available to all who hear the gospel and we are those who are supposed to communicate this and someone says to you OR your born-again Christian asked them what you know about being born again except you're not this estimate and then be ready to tell them what it means to be born again because in their head. Oftentimes, they have another image is not biblical. That's not accurate in this sticking that on you and they need help in the only way to go to get help if someone tells them says let me tell you would born-again means that you heard the truth concerning God and man. Man's sinful state his destination, his choices of destination that Jesus Christ is God the son, the Savior of the world, the lover of sinners who died on the cross for them. We laid out for them and then we give them the choice it is okay to say. Are you ready to make a choice now you want to play around with this, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible seed. The corruptible seed is that which is natural, which dies it does not last forever.

It comes from that which dies, and it produces that which will eventually die. You put an acorn in the ground and produces an oak tree in time that oak trees going to die or will produce acorns and other oak trees will come, but ultimately they will die to what this seed of the spirit. It does not dies, eternal, eternal life. It's our salvation through the word of God which lives in abides forever in verse 23. That's where I am God's preserved his record which is his will is the Bible that the spirit of God uses to make us children of God, faith, again comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God go out and preach to the world, making disciples of them, teaching them to observe all things that I've said to you what Satan of course in his hatred towards humanity. He attacks the word of God from the beginning, as indeed God said did really good to God really say that we get this all the time, do we not well I have a problem with the Bible good was written by men who should've been written by frogs by me what he wanted to choices here, and an angel had written that you be coming back saying well you know I'm from Angels Road. We didn't write it. Men did not write the Bible they just copied it down. You see when God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses. He put them on stones engraved it on stones and Moses broke the law and his rage my kinda guy. Not my choice site. I didn't plan to be this way messed up you too. You didn't live to be as messed up as you are sinners done this to us, but we're fighting back. Now in Christ, and so when God told Moses, go get two more stones and bring them up in all right on those also. Moses carried those stones, will the word of God is more men have carried this word through the ages and kept it up to date in different languages. The naysayers want God to write a new scroll for every generation, every, as often as they decide he shouldn't is not going to be that way. But anyway Satan comes along and says it is indeed God said that resulted in failure to obey God's word, which resulted in the first known sin to man departing from God's word and all the death that has followed and suffering was because of that moment.

Verse 24. Because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, the flower falls away.

So here is a contrast between this passing life in the unfading the unfailing the imperishable eternal word of God and what that means we don't worship the Bible, the God of the Bible we worship and what he has to say his word is one with himself is illustrating his points through stories he makes them straight out clear through imperatives. It takes all sorts of steps to communicate to us what he wants and what he does not want.

We Christians are not those who should be saying I don't know what God wants. Maybe you don't know what God wants. As far as you know, a job offer. You gotta go through that understood but as far as morality and spirituality were not questioning this. I don't know does God want me to steal this or not. I really like it. I we don't when faced with those kind of questions.

So in this contrast we are all expendable. We may think that were not within this life, we are he's quoting Isaiah 40, and what he says that he is is the God of the word everlasting is word stands forever, since Christ is the word of God. This is all true of him everything and we learn about him is dependable. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

There's no more after him because if you go anywhere past him you just going to find more of him. He is it. It's not as though there is a terminus where okay then and everything stops know it's just him forever in its final form the gospel of Jesus Christ is now the word of God that we have verse 25 but the word of Yahweh endures forever.

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you, so this impermanent nature of this world. In contrast again to the permanent nature of God's word.

11 great Christian writer wrote this he said the more familiar I become with the Scriptures, the more I am pleased with the logic of the Bible answer is something worth thinking about.

The more he read the Scripture, the more he realized how wonderful it is. So if you've been a Christian for any length of time but say couple of decades.

You know that while you're reading is going on so is your life.

Running parallel to it and that parallel life for the sake of this illustration is constantly challenging what you reading and you are in return, constantly fighting it off and not only on defense but on offense, staying a step ahead of it, so that whatever comes your way, you will be ready. According to the plans of God. This is how the martyrs have always faced their deaths and their struggles and martyrs have not always died a martyr's death, but they have suffered a martyrs life. Paul said all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution or why is that what you mean because of you living godly in Christ Jesus you sharing the faith and if you share the faith you gonna take hits.

That's how it is and then you are either going to be shaking in your faith. At some point and recover or you going to be shaking in your faith and be less strong is up to you. No other book in history has been so assaulted by so many rulers and people of influence as the Bible, and yet they are dead and gone, and it is still here word of God stands forever. We learn of believers dying rather turning away from what God has said, dying, supporting Scriptures, upholding it. The Bible is to die for and so I close where I started. In Revelation chapter 6 verse nine when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. They didn't have to die those deaths they could have just said God's word is not trustworthy.

God's word is not true. God's word is not dependable.

I believe that I waited for the results from believing it and it didn't work out the way I thought it would. Therefore, I'm going to abandon it. That's what Judas Iscariot did. By the way she Christ, the Messiah, he realized this is beside the way things are turning out the way I envision them. Maybe I should help them along. Whatever his story was. He became a betrayer of Jesus Christ and Jesus is better that man wasn't born but he was. These died upholding with Peter and all those of the Scripture repeated after hearing it from God and it has been preserved. We have it to this day. And so the challenge for us is well.

You say your Christian next time you feel yourself not loving. Force yourself. That's how you do it you have to storm the gates and not cut it just all it comes those Christian soldiers.

Let's just open the gates and let the men that's your flesh it's not going to just lie down and let you take over were going to have to storm now after I've preached to you, I don't have to do any more. I can just let you out and suffer through these things and I can be a big fat hypocrite man never be so I have to fight just like you. Sometimes you may see you know a little like he's fighting to Goodwell on you and on the inside room work all out war.

We are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first Peter on cross reference radio cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and we are blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com.

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