Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Good morning, everybody. It's so great to be here. For those who don't know me, my name is Ruben. I'm the young adults pastor here, part of the team with Phil and Esther. And it's really great to be taking us into the fifth part of our devoted series.
[00:00:19] I say this often. I say this most weeks, actually. It's really great, the two kind of series that we're going on at the moment. We've got Phil, who's taking us in a real kind of practical side of our Christian faith, how we manage our life, talking about how we manage our mind, how we manage our mouth, all the different things that will come from that. And then equally, at the same time, we've got two things running at the same time. We have this devoted series. And when we did our Discipleship series, it was really great because we had kind of like a topic or a scripture that would kind of come. But with this, it's not been anything that we planned. Esther does a lot of the preaching schedule, and it's not something that we've kind of been given. I haven't been given a topic today. I haven't been given a scripture today. But as we've prayed, as we've kind of been really seeking God, what is the heart for Your Word and Your church this week? It seemed to link with this devoted I had a great conversation with Matt this week that we always then have these amazing conversations just as we're packing down, talking about what God's kind of bringing the church into. And the thing that I want to talk about today is this proximity that I think God is wanting to bring us into. I think there's an interesting thing that's going on in the last three months, well, kind of September through to December that I think God is wanting to bring this church into. And I think this is an invitation. I know that the Bible clearly says this is an invitation for all, and I think specifically, it's an invitation God is wanting our church to step into. That actually, I'm going to talk about before, as we step into this proximity with Jesus, this proximity with God the Father through Jesus, that it will bring us into a church of love.
[00:01:55] And I think for the reason we planted this church this is all off script. I haven't started yet. The reason we planted this church is because 96% of people in the southwest of England don't go to church. And we know what that 4% is like, even with their faith.
[00:02:12] So there's a need out here for a dying generation that realistically are going to hell.
[00:02:19] There's three or four generations missing from the English church.
[00:02:26] And if we want to make a change, I think we have to stand firm to some of these things. I think we have to be in a regular, close proximity to God.
[00:02:39] So these things that I'm saying it might seem a little bit harsh, and I hope it comes with the message of love at the end. That's the pinnacle of this sermon.
[00:02:49] But for us as a church, I want you to understand the things that God is doing in these next three months. I think he's preparing us for a new thing, and we want to step into this united as a church so that we can save Newton. Abbot this is the goal, this is the vision. It might take a long time, but we believe in a God that can do these things. Phil sent me a great video this week where Jesus is appearing to people in dreams and they're coming. And their question is like, I've met Jesus, I came to Him, he came to me in my dream. Now what am I doing? Now what do I do? And this is our goal as the church, as the gathered body of Christ. It's how we disciple and bring them closer to this proximity.
[00:03:42] So this is a bit of a setup of what I think God's been laying on my heart over these weeks. And Esther set this so well up last week. The whole Sunday just gathered around Jesus, focusing on communion, his blood, his body, his sacrifice. And this is so important because the only way that we have access is through this. And I'll talk about it, but I don't want to focus on it so much because I think we covered that last week and it's available online if you want to watch it on Spotify, we have a podcast. All our messages are recorded. That's why I've got my mic on.
[00:04:13] So I'm just going to read if you want to turn to one. Peter with me. I haven't got up on the screen. I'm reading in the ESV. I know I often like to read the same translation that people are reading from at the front. And we're going to read through the whole of chapter one and then half of chapter two. So we're going to be here a little bit. It's about 35 verses. I just want you guys to stick with me and then I can kind of unpack some of the things that say.
[00:04:35] So it's first of all, this greeting. It's greeting from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles to the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithenia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling with his blood. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. What an introduction. Hey, imagine if someone said that every time we came to church. Just, hey. Bless be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again and the living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you, who us by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice now for a little while, if necessary. You have been grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love Him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. I think we saw some of that this morning, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. That's the outcome concerning this salvation. The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating that he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
[00:06:47] It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves, but you. In the things that have now been announced to you, though those who preach the good news to you by the Holy Spirit through those sorry who preach the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which angels long to look.
[00:07:08] Therefore now you understand this, preparing your minds for action to go out, and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written you shall be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on him as a father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds. Conduct yourself with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers. Not with perishable things such as silver or gold. It was bought by so much more, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. That's why you are ransomed. That's how you are ransomed, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot, he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you, who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. We believe in this God so that glory gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. That's why Jesus came down is so we glorify God, having purified our souls by your obedience to the truth. For in sincere brotherly love, love one another. Now you understand this love earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable seed through the living and abiding word of God. For all flesh is like grass and all glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, and the word of the Lord remains forever. And this is the word this is the good news that was preached for you and hang you with me now just for this little section here. So put away all your malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk that it may grow up that you may grow up into salvation. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good as you come to him. It's an expectation, a living stone rejected by man on the outside. But in the sight of God, you are chosen and you are precious. You yourself, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
[00:09:59] For it stands in Scripture. Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious. And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to others. They stumble because they disobey the Word as they were destined to. But you, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people.
[00:10:50] Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as souljourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of your flesh which wage war against you. Keep your conduct amongst the gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you, it's expected as evildoers they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
[00:11:17] Thanks for following along. It was a bit long. We're just going to go into it now. If I can get that first slide up, please, gordon and just looking at this first section here, the first kind of few verses in one Peter, chapter one, three to nine, the focus is the born again, that we have been born again. I loved what it talked about there of the seed. That the seed of Adam, the seed of humans. It talked about the inheritance that we'll get from our forefathers. But this seed is from God himself that we have been born again. Not into an earthly birth that will always lead to death, but we have been born again into eternal life.
[00:11:56] That is the inheritance. That is the expectation of our life. When we come through Jesus, when we understand that we are born again through him.
[00:12:08] And it was really interesting as I was kind of preparing this message and I was looking through and kind of highlighting the different points that I felt God was asking me to talk about. And this resilient faith was something that's so personal to me right now, and I really think it is for some of the people here. And I was expecting this to be oh, I was expecting this to be something that might come from the outcome that once you understand salvation, you understand your identity, who you are, it gives you strength to persevere in these trials. But that's not the order Peter gave it to us. That the resilient faith, the trials that were expected here in verse seven, and it says this in this. You rejoice, though, now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. And what do these trials do so that the tested genuineness of your faith. It talks about this perishing by gold, that as you come into this proximity with Jesus, that the fire will come and the gold won't withstand the heat, that they purify the gold. But this fire is too hot for the gold to survive. But your faith, however, is more precious than gold, and it is found to result in praise and glory and honor. And this isn't something that comes in the mature Christian. This is the start of salvation. This is the born again that as you are soon born again, the expectation to come to solidify that faith is these trials.
[00:13:40] And what happens when you come through those trials is there is a rejoice, there's a praise, there's a glory, and there's an honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ because you understand that only he is good and church. As I was coming and preparing and preaching this week, I couldn't share with you what's going on, some of the stuff in my life.
[00:14:05] And this week's been really hard.
[00:14:08] This last month's kind of been really hard.
[00:14:12] There's probably about four people that are really close, like, really close proximity in my family that are suffering with, like, crippling anxiety.
[00:14:22] One person's been off for three months from work, another off for two months from work, another one month from work.
[00:14:33] My NAN recently has just been re diagnosed with cancer, and they've been told that they can't really operate because there's a 15% to 20% survival rate after the operation if she operated.
[00:14:46] And then when we're having a young adult social, I receive a call.
[00:14:50] Last Sunday when my NAN was in hospital. She had a fall on the Friday, she was in hospital on the Saturday, and then she was going into an operation with the same chance of survival rate on the Sunday.
[00:15:05] And I had to call to prayer. I had to. It's the only thing I could do. My nan's about to go for an operation in 15 minutes, and she comes out, she's awake and she's alive, praise God.
[00:15:18] And I receive a text from my auntie, who's not a believer, who says, hey, our prayers and our thoughts are working, something's happening, and I don't know about your theology and stuff like that. Actually, I don't feel like I'm praying for my NAN to be completely healed. I'd love that. Praise God, if that's okay.
[00:15:35] But I'm praying for the salvation of my family and for her, and these are the trials that it's talking about. And I know there's some people that even aren't here, and I want to send them this message because I was really excited to see them today, but they're away. And I'm sure I'm confident that those in this room, you'll be going through the same things.
[00:16:01] But this is that expectation that through this, as I'm preparing for marriage, recently engaged, as some of you know, and just the the wrestles and the trialship of like, I could have just pursued a normal career. Like, I did quite well in school. Like, I could have got a good job. My brother moved out. He's older than me. We we both moved out at 18. He went to be an accountant, got a degree now working in Bristol. Very well paid job, well done. I'm so proud of him.
[00:16:30] And I've tried to justify and explain to my family and my friends that, yeah, I moved out at 18 and been, like, three years, fourth year now in ministry to work for a church, and it's not quite the same pay.
[00:16:47] And there was a real wrestle that I've had to go with. I'm so grateful for Phil and Esther that have been in this and the young adults group as well, and feel so supported with this of understanding, is it all worth it?
[00:17:02] I didn't have to do this.
[00:17:04] I didn't have to come and move to Exeter and then move to a small town in Newton Abbot. I didn't have to do this. It was my choice.
[00:17:14] But there was a burden of obedience that I'm going to talk about that I couldn't not submit to.
[00:17:21] And as we understand this, that this is the thing that secures our salvation. And I was at this church on Thursday night.
[00:17:29] One of my friends was preaching there. It's a really great church. Joel actually is a part of it, ENC in Exeter, and it was their student night, and we were just worshipping, we're praising. And God really spoke to me through some of the lyrics of this song, and it was talking about a generation that's rising up with resilient faith.
[00:17:48] And my heart broke, and knowing this message on my heart, knowing what I was going to preach on, and God really spoke to me. He said, and take this as you will, but the decline in the church that we've seen, I think, is God filtering out the weak faith.
[00:18:10] That a Sunday faith, a routine faith, is not the thing that will be able to make you persevere through these trials.
[00:18:19] That is only truly understanding and staking your life down on the cross.
[00:18:25] That will be able to get you through these things. And I was praying for a generation that are destined for hell right now.
[00:18:33] I felt God was saying there had to be this, there had to be this decline and this dismantle of religiosity because we want a generation. And yes, Gen Z, yes, Gen Alpha, but the biblical generation, a whole generation, our whole family rising up with a secure faith, a resilient faith. And I'm not going to be one of those guys that said the end is nigh. I know Jesus says it's coming soon.
[00:19:03] So many letters in the Bible, Paul gives his advice of, like, don't get married. Like Jesus is coming soon.
[00:19:09] And it's way sooner now than it was back then.
[00:19:13] So wherever you stand with that, jesus is coming back soon. And we're going to need a resilient faith church that you read the things, the rumors of wars, the signs, and you can look around. It's always around us. It always has been, it always will be.
[00:19:29] But we need a resilient faith.
[00:19:33] We can't just go through this on a Sunday.
[00:19:36] We can't just, oh, I go Sunday. And our life groups are great.
[00:19:41] It has to be firmly based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the thing that secures us. That's the only thing that will remain. Amen. And Gordon, can we go on to this next slide, please?
[00:19:58] So, as you know, this in verse 13, it kind of talks about so, you know, this faith that was prophesied beforehand, this faith that was always foretold and it's really interesting. What did it say? They predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. This is how the kingdom of God works. Why is Jesus the one that's enthroned next to the Father? Why is he the one that is only worthy? Why was he the one that was only worthy to open up the scroll to take this mantle that was given to Him?
[00:20:35] Because he was the only one that would stand true, live a pure and perfect life and withstand the sufferings.
[00:20:42] This is why he gets the glories.
[00:20:47] This is the kingdom of God and how it works that the first is last and the last is first.
[00:20:53] If you want to be enthroned in heaven, there will have to be endurance.
[00:20:58] It's not a suggestion, it's a promise and it's a guarantee. But there's hope for the future in who gets us through. So as you know this, as you have been born again with a seed that will last, prepare it's. Focus on the grace that will come. It says, set your hope fully on the grace that we bought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. How do we get through these things? It's not looking down. It's not like, oh, yeah, I have a great church on a Sunday. It's really fun.
[00:21:33] That won't get you through those trials. I have a great job and security, so, like, I can pay the bills. So where some people are finding it hard, like, yeah, okay, I'm all right.
[00:21:43] That's getting less and less of us, as we all know.
[00:21:47] But how do we secure this? How do we focus? How do we sustain and get through? It's only on the thing that will last. But it's focusing on the grace that will come.
[00:22:00] It's salvation. Not for now. On a day that will come. Peter always is talking about that day that will come. The revelation of Jesus Christ when he comes back for his bride and we say, we've been waiting for you.
[00:22:14] That's the only thing that will guarantee to get us through. It's the constant looking forward. And it's hard.
[00:22:22] Let's be real. I don't wake up every morning. Maybe if you thought I do, it's a reality check, but I don't wake up every morning and look at Jesus and be like, wow, sometimes I wake up, oh, flip, I'm really late. I've got to go, like, quick, like, five minute shower and then run somewhere.
[00:22:41] Sometimes that's reality.
[00:22:44] Like, not going to lie in this week with all the hardship that's going on.
[00:22:49] I didn't want to look up.
[00:22:52] I didn't want to look up and be like, okay, great. So maybe in 40, 50, 60 years time when I die, I'll be in heaven.
[00:23:01] That's not the natural thing that comes to me, but it's the only thing that will sustain us. It's the only thing that is guaranteed and firm in our life for these things.
[00:23:16] And so what's this call, this call into proximity? You might have noticed the title of my sermon is Access All Areas. So the only reason we can access these things is through the blood of Jesus Christ. We talked about that last week. It's what I focused on at the start. So as we draw into this proximity with God, a holy and righteous God, the first time I was reading through Leviticus and kind of the laws, I had a really good friend, a really wise friend. He said, hey, as you read this, it might be hard, it might not make much sense, but imagine that God is the sun.
[00:23:50] So the sun here is a burling ball of fire.
[00:23:54] The sun in itself, it has to be hot.
[00:23:57] It has to radiate so much heat that on a sunny day that we all complain that it's too hot and come out a little bit red, that this sun, thousands of light years away comes through.
[00:24:09] So if you fly really close to the sun and then you complain that you get burnt, that's not the sun's fault. The sun's just being the sun. But you need to be protected to come to that proximity.
[00:24:23] So as you read the law through those eyes of God is saying, hey, if you want to come, there's an invitation to come to me. If you want to be holy, like I am holy, if you want to gaze at my presence and you want to come into this proximity, there is a lifestyle that has to come with that. This was the laws, this was the sacrifices. And, yes, these things have been redeemed by Jesus.
[00:24:47] But as Peter says here in verse 15, but as he who has called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.
[00:25:02] So we've had this invite to come in. As I say later on, it's an expectation, as you come to Him, that's chapter two, verse three, that as you come to Him, the expectation, the invite is for all be holy, for he is holy.
[00:25:21] There will be a lifestyle that will have to come that as you get close to this burning ball of fire, what will come that refining fire.
[00:25:32] That's what it's talking about, that the gold won't withstand that heat, but you, if your faith is secure, you will withstand that heat.
[00:25:41] And Church, if it hasn't happened already, get ready, because it will come.
[00:25:45] There's a lifestyle of fasting and sacrifice that is at the end of this proximity.
[00:25:53] Phil and Esther are great inspirations for this. They talk about often, or not often, actually, but they talk about the things and the guards they have in their life, particularly around TV and a few other things like this, that when there's a step in for the enemy to take you off course, you have to get rid of it. That there'll be a lifestyle of fasting, of cutting off these things that are taking you away. If you want to draw close to the proximity and church, I'm telling you right now, you don't have to. Like, this isn't a salvation thing. Like, if you believe in Jesus Christ, in the resurrection of Him for your sins, if you're confident in that, you will get to heaven.
[00:26:36] But if we believe he is truly good, why would we not want to reflect that?
[00:26:44] Why would not we not want to be as close to Him as possible?
[00:26:50] And church, it's hard, but I promise you, he is good.
[00:26:55] We've got to know this, that he is good, that a life in proximity with a holy God is good.
[00:27:04] It's the best thing for you.
[00:27:08] So we have to endure. We have to be holy.
[00:27:13] We have to fear God. It talks about that, hey, this Father who judges, he and judges impartially, whoever you are, it does not matter. He will look at each one's deeds. So he said, Conduct yourself with fear throughout your time of exile. I think that's the time here on Earth.
[00:27:30] And we did a great study with the young adults, and I think we actually did it here on the Sunday of One Corinthians, chapter three, talking about that fire, that it will burn, it will judge your deeds, it will look at your things. It's a consistent thing throughout the Scriptures that God, who is a holy God, he is righteous, he is the judge without any favoritism. He will look at the things that you do and will see whether it lasts.
[00:27:56] So when you call on Him, we have to call on Him with this fear, this genuine trembling, to understand that he is a holy God, that I don't deserve to be in this proximity with Him, that he is a holy God when we address Him to conduct our lives with fear in this.
[00:28:22] But we know that we are ransomed, not with something that anyone can buy.
[00:28:30] No silver, no gold, no treasure, no money can buy this.
[00:28:36] But it was only bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. That's the only reason we're here, for nothing that you have done, the only reason you can enter this proximity is because of Jesus. And we have to understand that. We have to live in reverence. This is why the whole thing is talking about a reflection and a glorification of Jesus, because there's no way on earth that it could have happened. It had to be from heaven.
[00:29:09] So what happens then as we draw into this proximity, as we understand that we conduct ourselves as a holiness, a purity, because he is holy, a fear and trembling as we come to the God Almighty.
[00:29:22] It's this obedience it talks about that sanctification having purified verse 22, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth, obedience for a sincere, brotherly love.
[00:29:38] This is why we obey.
[00:29:41] This is why we endure those hardships that we talked about at the start. It's why we cling fast to the things of God, because as we obey, it brings that purification. It takes us closer and closer and closer to Him.
[00:29:58] And what does that outcome look like here on earth? And I'm not saying, like, go around and look at the whole church and be, hmm. So their proximity is about here and they're about here.
[00:30:09] But a visible sign of your closeness to Jesus is the love that you have.
[00:30:16] And it's been a theme throughout this church, even in general. The kids song, we're raising them up from a young age saying, you need to know how to love, because how will they truly know how to love? It's only from proximity to God.
[00:30:33] So as we obey, as we come closer and closer and closer, how do we, as a church show this inside and outside? It's both.
[00:30:42] It's here. When we gather on a Sunday, on Tuesday, a Wednesday, a Thursday, wherever your life group meets, how do we show that we are in proximity with Jesus? How do we walk in obedience? It's how you love. I'm going to read out verse 22.
[00:30:59] Having purified your soul by your obedience to the truth, for a. Sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. Since you have been born again, you, because you know this, because you have been guaranteed an inheritance, the only outworking of how you show the proximity with God is your love for one another.
[00:31:33] And this is so important for what I'm going to go into in a SEC. But finally, if you know the Lord is good, I love this part. It's a bit of a dig, but it's kind of fun at the start of chapter two. So put away all malice and deeds, turn away from that life and hypocrisy and envy and all slander you're not that anymore. Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk only things from God that it may grow you up into salvation. This constant growth, this constant stepping forward, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good, I don't think that's exactly right. If indeed you have tasted the Lord is good, it is right that if you truly know that the Lord is good, this will be the pursuit of your life.
[00:32:21] This is the calling of a Christian. This is a sign to show you have truly encountered the Savior of the world, that you turn away from that old life and you only pursue Him because once you've got a taste of how good he is, you can't stop.
[00:32:40] He's the only thing that will satisfy.
[00:32:45] So, Church, let's not be satisfied with anything less.
[00:32:50] Let's turn away from that old life. And I'm not expecting perfection.
[00:32:56] Please know that I am the least perfect.
[00:33:01] But I have tasted the goodness of God. I have seen things that only he could do, and it draws me closer and closer to Him.
[00:33:14] So once we understand this proximity, can we get to that next side? You have to understand that what that means there is a chosen identity over you as the Church, those that come to Him, verse three in chapter two. Now, as you come to Him, we, a living stone, are rejected by man. But in the sight of God, we are chosen and we are precious. It's an expectation to come to Him. And what is happening as we come to Him, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
[00:34:01] This is what we are. This is the expectation. And we talk about that love that as we come into proximity with God, the outworking is the love to those around us.
[00:34:13] And notice these things aren't singular. It's a holy priesthood, a holy nation, a dwelling place for the Lord. Again, I love that. It's so many cross references with that one corinthians three chapter. It talks about being God's field, God's building, that we're almost these bricks in this building. And guys, you can't do it alone. This call to holiness, this call to obedience, it isn't in isolation. You have to be part of a representation here on earth, drafted into a family, a nation, that this is the thing that we are being built up together.
[00:34:57] So this is why we can't do church by ourselves. If we get rid of God and we take away the proximity to Him, we will be useless.
[00:35:08] Because the only way we can truly love one another, truly help each other in this life is by loving Him, coming close to Him and reflecting that love out to one another. And I'm talking like in this building, like I'm talking about in Christians, wherever you meet Christians right now. Because there's something when we do, when we understand that we are firm in this, that we are a nation that is holy, that is set apart, that lives in fear of an almighty God, that we come and we love one another.
[00:35:40] This is the response. That's the only thing I'm talking about right now. Each other. The person next to you, your husband, your wife, your children, your brother, your sister, your mother, your father. And not just like your family, but like spiritually.
[00:35:54] This is what we're being built up into, this holy nation, this royal priesthood.
[00:36:01] Verse nine, it says, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him. This is why you are chosen. You are loved. You are seen as pure and perfect. You are made right in the stance of a holy and fair God.
[00:36:26] He is holy.
[00:36:28] But the only reason you're doing this is so you can proclaim his excellence, to let it be known that he is good. That they go, why do you look like that? Why is your community so tight that you love one another so well? It's because we've tasted and seen that God is good and it's only Him that can do it.
[00:36:51] And if we go on to this final slide, please gord.
[00:36:56] Oh wait, act sorry. There we go. Thank you.
[00:37:00] So how do we live in this and yeah, I'm going to do the Pete one first. How do we live in this? Verse twelve? Verse eleven and twelve it says beloved, now you understand this identity that you guys are here. As you draw closer and closer to Him, you walk in obedience, that you have a holy reverence of the Lord and you love one another.
[00:37:22] That you are this identity, a priesthood, God's dwelling place, a temple for Him to be here on the earth.
[00:37:31] Now that you know this, beloved, I urge you as souljourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of your flesh. You're not from this world. Don't look like that which wage war against your soul. It's not both and it is either or.
[00:37:48] They are at war within each other.
[00:37:52] Keep your conduct amongst the Gentiles, those outside of the church. Keep it honorable. So that when they speak against you as evildoers, and let's expect it when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
[00:38:12] There's not an expectation for you to be rewarded right now. And praise God when a soul comes to him. Praise God when someone sees your conduct amongst each other and out there, that you honor people with your good deeds no matter who they are. Praise God when they come and find Him.
[00:38:31] But sometimes they might never.
[00:38:36] What this is saying is how you glorify God is that they will glorify God on the day that Jesus comes. And I'm not ready for the revelation that happens to the world when we see a holy God come down on earth. And I think what will happen here is those people will be reminded of us the way that we love. They'll see a holy God. That's the main thing. Like they'll fear, and they'll be in trembling at him. He is holy, but they will be reminded and they will see and understand, and they'll glorify God the day he comes back because of how you loved those people.
[00:39:20] As I was praying and kind of asking God what to talk about. It was a really random verse, a really random chapter, but I was like, I don't know how I'm going to base a preach on this, but Peter came, so that was good. But Leviticus, chapter 17, and I love this as I kind of turn in my Bible, like, there's like one Peter right here, like at the end, and then Leviticus kind of right at the start, and there's this big arch that I think it links. And as I was talking about all of this, it is that Old Testament understanding and Esther again talked about that of like the temple and the holy and the holy of holies and all these places.
[00:39:55] In chapter 17, leviticus chapter 17, I'm going to read kind of eight verses here. It says, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, this is a thing that the Lord has commanded. If any one of the House of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside of the camp and does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord. Blood guilt shall be imputed on that man. He has shed blood. That the man shall be cut off from among his people. That this is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offering to the Lord. And the priest shall throw blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of Meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, so that they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons after whom they whore. This shall be a stature forever for them throughout their generations. And you shall say to them, anyone in the house of Israel or the strangers who sojourn among them, who offer a burnt offering or sacrifice and do not bring it to the entrance of the tent of Meeting to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from his people.
[00:41:29] And that's like Old Testament law that Jesus has fulfilled. So it doesn't really matter, right?
[00:41:35] But as we look at what Peter's talking about and these cross sections in that as they bring the sacrifice to God, what do his priests do? The Priesthood? That we now claim that identity in verse four and five, that they offer it to the Lord, that they bring those people, that wherever they are, that they're making these sacrifices, they're devoting their life to something that our job as priests are to say, hey, don't go to those places, but come to where the sacrifice is meant to.
[00:42:11] And as you bring them, as you see them out in the distance, and you bring them to the place of the Lord. This isn't a Sunday, guys. This isn't a Sunday. This isn't a Tuesday or a Wednesday or a Thursday that might be better for them. Maybe it's not a small group. It's wherever you are, as this holy temple, this place where the Lord dwells, you bring them to the Lord and what's the first thing you do? You throw his blood at the entrance, verse six.
[00:42:40] And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of Meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
[00:42:49] How do we get access to this holy God? How do we operate with awe, fear and trembling that we throw the blood? You have to understand about the blood of Jesus. Tell them about the blood of Jesus. And what do you do? You say turn. So they shall. It's not even a suggestion. They will they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons after whom they whore. They're selling themselves short.
[00:43:21] They don't understand their value.
[00:43:24] It says about them then prostituting themselves to these other things that there's a holy God who sees you as pure, as perfect, and you're wasting your life. You're selling something that is precious to you.
[00:43:38] You are worth so much more than that. Don't sell yourself something short that won't love you truly.
[00:43:45] But our job as a royal priesthood to bring those far and wide to the place of the Lord, to show them the blood that was scattered before us, and to see them turn from those things. This is for all. This isn't for the church, the Jews, it's for the Gentiles as well. It's for all. It's for Newton Abbot.
[00:44:09] It's the only reason we're here. So we get to that final slide in summary, that we understand the salvation that is only Jesus Christ and the proximity that it brings us into. And as we enter that proximity, we need to be prepared. We need to be holy because he is holy. We need to live that lifestyle that is ready for the purification. The only thing that will sustain us is our confidence in the salvation. As we draw closer and closer to Him, we see Him.
[00:44:39] And as an outworking of that, we love. And what does that love look like in action? It's understanding who you are. A royal priesthood, a holy nation. You are God's temple and his dwelling place. This is love for us as a community, for those that know Jesus.
[00:44:58] And as we know this. And we operate in this community. And when we're in our outside lives, we love and we honor. And those deeds might never be seen, but they will always glorify God.
[00:45:10] We act, we act as the priests that we see those far and wide that are wasting their lives and they are sacrificing things. They're giving it up and they're giving up and they're giving it up.
[00:45:24] And we bring them to the holy place that is Jesus. We scatter his blood and we enter in to a holy, holy God.
[00:45:36] I don't give loads of notice, but if the band could come up just as we lead into this time, I'm just going to pray. So Lord, we thank you that you alone are holy. Jesus, we're so grateful for you that we can enter into this proximity. God, we're in awe of you.
[00:45:57] Help us be holy, for you are holy. Help us withstand the fire of Your glory, lord, let us taste and truly know that you are good.
[00:46:12] Lord, as we come close to you, let us understand our identity. Let us operate only in love. Let our love be a testimony to this town, to this region, Lord, to this nation. Let the love of Rediscover church Newton Abbot be a testimony.
[00:46:31] Build us up into Your holy nation, Lord, into Your dwelling place and let us act.
[00:46:38] Let us act as these royal priests.
[00:46:43] Let us flow in Your goodness and we mourn for those that are far away. Lord, thank you that you saved me from that I once was, that selling myself short for a cheap high or any affirmation. Lord, I thank you that you brought me home.
[00:47:05] And let us understand and truly the goodness of you. Let us go forth into this week and we sing praise to you now, Lord.
