WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD?-IV—1Peter 1:3-12
Attention:
What’s so great about Florida/Carrabelle?
Many people come to Florida & Carrabelle, FL to Escape the cold, looking for milder climes...or maybe ‘The easy life,’ Retirement, Escape from the ‘rat race.’ What they find are Yellow flies, Deer flies, Dog flies, & Mosquitoes. They find that they cannot take neither the high humidity nor the high heat of summer. These people leave with a sour taste for Florida in general & return home having never experienced Florida or Carrabelle.
Likewise many people enter churches hoping to find meaning in their lives. They are looking for love, acceptance & friendship. What they find are sinners saved by grace. Neglecting & bypassing the message of the cross, & seeking satisfaction their own way, they neglect a relationship with Jesus.
They walk out of the church not having their supposed/felt ‘needs’ met, & have no real appreciation for the church.
We can sometimes miss the power of God preferring rather to enjoy the social aspects of ‘our church.’ And when confronted with our fears in such situations, we come to a standstill, not realizing ‘What’s So Great About God!’
Peter recalled basic justifications for glorifying God.
Blood-bought believers are justified in their glorifying/pointing to God.
Why are believers justified in glorifying/blessing/pointing to God?
Why is God considered Worthy?
WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD?
Previously, we found that,
God is Great because He offers...
1. GOD(:3a)
2. His MEANS OF SALVATION(:3a)
3. MERCY(:3b)
4. REGENERATION(:3b)
5. VIBRANT HOPE(:3b-c)
6—God is Great because He offers...
STANDING INHERITANCE(:4-5)
Explanation:(:4-5)Reserved
:4—“to an inheritance incorruptible & undefiled & that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”
Our being brought into a state of spiritual rebirth was initiated in order that an unfading, “undefiled” & imperishable/“incorruptible” “inheritance” would be obtained/had/possessed or become that which the believer owned/held in heart & hand.
This perennial “inheritance” is a “reserved” inheritance. That is, it is... English=‘Kept or set apart or aside for future or special use.’; Set aside for the use of a particular person or party.
When something is “reserved/kept” for us no one else may touch it in any way. It is ours though we may not use it at the present time. It is tended to, guarded, & maintained for us. Just as monies, destined for inheritance, cannot be dissolved or distributed until an estate is ‘legally’ solvent.
The “reservation” set aside for the use of the believer is “reserved” “in heaven.” “Heaven” being the eternal destination & continual location of our dwelling following this life we live in the flesh.
“You/Ye” is plural.
“Inheritance”—klhronomia—Property received (or to be received) by inheritance; What is given to one as a possession. Strong—Heirship, i.e. concretely--A patrimony or (genitive case)--A possession.
“Incorruptible/Imperishable”—afyartov—Adj.—not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable; Immortal. Afyartov is properly incorruptible, unaffected by corruption & decay. It is applied to God, & to that which is connected with him. Strong—Undecaying(in essence or continuance).
From—A—as a negative particle—&—fyeirw—probably strengthened from fyiw(to pine or waste); properly--To shrivel or wither, i.e. To spoil(by any process) or generally--To ruin (especially figuratively, by moral influences--To deprave).
“Undefiled/Uncorrupted”—amiantov—not defiled, unsoiled; Free from that by which the nature of a thing is deformed & debased, or its force & vigor impaired; That which is far removed from every kind of contamination. Strong—Unsoiled, i.e. figuratively--Pure. Used 4X.
From—A—as a negative particle—&—miainw—1) To dye with another color, to stain; 2) To defile, pollute, sully, contaminate, soil. Strong—perhaps a primary verb; To sully or taint, i.e. Contaminate(ceremonially or morally).
“Not fade away/Not fade/Unfading”—amarantov—1) Not fading away, unfading, perennial(See amarantinov[1) composed of amaranth—1a) A flower so called because it never withers or fades, & when plucked off revives if moistened with water, 1b) A symbol of perpetuity & immortality.]). Unaffected by the withering which is common in the case of flowers. Amarantov expresses the same idea in another way. It means unfading, the root idea being that it is unaffected by the withering which is common in the case of flowers. Used 1X.
From—A—as a negative particle—&—marainw—To extinguish(as fire), i.e. (figuratively & passively)--To pass away.
“Reserved/Kept”—threw—Perfect Passive Participle—1) To attend to carefully, take care of—1a) To guard, 1b) metaph.--To keep, one in the state in which he is, 1c) To observe, 1d) To reserve: to undergo something. Threw expresses watchful care & is suggestive of present possession, fulassw indicates safe custody & often implies assault from without; threw may mark the result of which fulassw is the means. Strong—To guard(from loss or injury) properly--By keeping the eye upon; & thus differing from fulassw, which is properly to prevent escaping; & from koustwdia, (which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. To note (a prophecy; figuratively--To fulfill a command); by implication--To detain(in custody; figuratively--To maintain); by extension--To withhold(for personal ends; figuratively--To keep unmarried).
:5—“who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
These who have a perennial inheritance reserved for them are the very ones who are also “kept”/protected. Their being “kept” is bound up in “the power of God” & thus cannot be ‘kept” by any power of their own. Their protection is designed for one determination, which being, to accomplish our “salvation.”
*Our protection arises & is put into effect solely by “faith”(Eph. 2:8-9).
This “salvation” is currently “ready to be revealed.” We often preach & speak of “salvation” being a once-for-all-time occurrence, which is true. However even though our “salvation” is an absolute certainty decided thru a point-in-time occurrence, it is currently incomplete. It is destined to be fully accomplished “in the last time.” Presently it is “ready to be revealed.” In that “readiness” there is power for our present life lived in faith.
“The last time” will be that “time” surrounding the tribulation & millennium, which is in earth’s future.
Eph. 1:9-15—[God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ]“having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus & your love for all the saints,”
Jn. 10:27-29—“My sheep hear My voice, & I know them, & they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, & they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; & no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
2Cor. 1:21-22—“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
“Kept”—frourew—1) To guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight. Strong—from a compound of pro[ a primary preposition; "fore", i.e. In front of, prior(figuratively, superior) to] & oraw[properly--To stare at, i.e. by implication--To discern clearly (physically or mentally); by extension--To attend to; by Hebraism--To experience; passively--To appear]; To be a watcher in advance, i.e. To mount guard as a sentinel(post spies at gates); figuratively--To hem in, protect. Used 4X.
“Power”—dunamiv—1) Strength power, ability. Power, natural ability, general & inherent. Strong—Force(literally or figuratively); specially--Miraculous power(usually by implication, a miracle itself).
“Through”—dia—Preposition—Strong—a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; Through(in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional).
“Faith”(See :7, 9)—pistiv—
“Salvation”—swthria—1) Deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation. Strong—feminine of a derivative of swthr as (properly, abstract) noun; Rescue or safety (physically or morally).
“Ready”—etoimov—Adj.—1) Prepare ready. Strong—from an old noun eteov(fitness); Adjusted, i.e. Ready.
“To be Revealed”—apokaluptw—1) To uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up—1a) Disclose, make bare; 2) To make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown. Strong—To take off the cover, i.e. Disclose.
“Last”—escatov—
“Time”—kairov—Kairov denotes a definitely limited portion of time with the added notion of suitableness. Strong—of uncertain affinity; An occasion, i.e. Set or proper time.
Argumentation:
Mat. 25:31-36—“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, & all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. “All the nations will be gathered before Him, & He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ‘for I was hungry & you gave Me food; I was thirsty & you gave Me drink; I was a stranger & you took Me in; ‘I was naked & you clothed Me; I was sick & you visited Me; I was in prison & you came to Me.’ ”
Acts 26:12-18—“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority & commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me & those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me & saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise & stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister & a witness both of the things which you have seen & of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ ”
(See Previous)Eph. 1:7-14—“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Col. 1:9-14—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Rev. 21:22-27—“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty & the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, & the kings of the earth bring their glory & honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory & the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Col. 1:3-5—“We give thanks to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus & of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up[apokeimai] for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,”
Col. 3:2-4—“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Gal. 4:1-7—“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians & stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, & if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
?Do you live as if you have a Standing Inheritance?
Illustration:
Adoption candidates in Ukraine—Currently(2014-15) threatened by war with Russia/Fears dominate the orphan’s lives beyond merely having no loving parents/American parental candidates travel to Ukraine orphanage/They fall in love with a child—Sign & date the paperwork, Money changes hands, etc.—Then parental candidates return to America where they wait for the transfer to go thru proper channels/The child’s life is different from the moment the adoptive parents decide upon them/The parent’s life is different from the moment they decide upon the child/The child(& potential parents) lives in expectation of the love they will soon fully touch/Kept by the adoption process/STANDING INHERITANCE
Though the adoption mechanism of men can fail in multiple ways, God’s adoption mechanism cannot fail, at all, in any way!
The TUAREG people(Sahara Desert)- A man by the name of ‘Ahmed’ sleeps under the open sky out in the desert while his herd is nearby, doing the same. His family, asleep under a tent made from goat skin, huddles together to keep warm. As dawn arrives, they all begin their day. They draw water from the nearest well, collect fuel for the cooking fire, take the animals to get water, & prepare the meals for the day. ‘Ahmed,’ his family, & the Tuareg people see their Creator in the desert around them Will he begin to seek Him. Will the Father reveal Himself to them through dreams & visions?, OR will Ahmed & others know of the certainty of a STANDING INHERITANCE thru encounters with believers?/STANDING INHERITANCE
Dutch business tycoon, Cornelius Vanderbilt made many millions as a shipping & railroad magnate/One of the wealthiest American families in history!/Eventually his grandson George Vanderbilt inherited some of his father’s monies, building Biltmore House as a country home near Asheville, NC/4 acres of floor space-250 rooms-35 bedrooms-43 bathrooms-65 fireplaces-beautiful grounds/Just a small amount of George’s inheritance/STANDING INHERITANCE
Application:
?You accepted God’s offer of STANDING INHERITANCE?
?In your opinion is God Great & to be Blessed?
7—God is Great because He offers...
INTERNAL JOY(:6)
Explanation:(:6)
:6—“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,”
“This” promise & certainty of eternal salvation(:3-5) brings us to “greatly rejoice.”
Such exultation remains even while unavoidably experiencing multi-faceted problems, distresses, & trying times(Js. 1:2-4),. These distressing times come to us individually & by “various” means. All of these means are means of testing & proving the strength & makeup of our faith.
2Cor. 13:5—“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?”
“Greatly Rejoice/Exult”—agalliaw—1) To exult, rejoice exceedingly, be exceeding glad. Strong—from agan(much) & allomai[To jump or gush]; properly--To jump for joy, i.e. Exult. Used 11X.
“Now”—arti—Adverb—1) Just now, this moment; 2) Now at this time, at this very time, this moment. Strong—from a derivative of airw[To lift up] (compare artov[Bread/Loaf]) through the idea of suspension; Just now.
“Little while/A Season”—oligov—Adjective—1) Little, small, few—1a) of number:--Multitude, quantity, or size, 1b) Of time:--Short, 1c) of degree or intensity:--Light, slight. Strong—of uncertain affinity; Puny(in extent, degree, number, duration or value); especially neuter(adverbial)--Somewhat.
“If need be/If necessary”—dei—It is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right & proper.
“Grieved/Distressed/Heaviness”—lupew—1)To make sorrowful; 2)To affect with sadness, cause grief, to throw into sorrow; 3)To grieve, offend; 4)To make one uneasy, cause him a scruple. Lupeomai is the most general word( of penyew, yrhnew, & koptomai), meaning simply to grieve, outwardly or inwardly. Strong—To distress; reflexively or passively--To be sad.
“Various/Manifold”—poikilov—1) A various color, variegated; 2) Of various sorts. Strong—of uncertain derivation; Motley, i.e. Various in character. Used 10X.
“Trials/Temptations”—peirasmov—An experiment, attempt, trial, proving. Strong—A putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication--Adversity.
Argumentation:
Ps. 51:12-13—“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.”
Isa. 12:1-3—“And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, & You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust & not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the LORD, is my strength & song; He also has become my salvation.’” Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.”
Hab. 3:17-19—“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls--Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.”
Lk. 10:17-21—“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents & scorpions, & over all the power of the enemy, & nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit & said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven & earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise & prudent & revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”
Mat. 5:10-12—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. “Rejoice & be exceedingly glad[agalliaw], for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
1Pet. 4:12-13—“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy[agalliaw].”
Ps. 95:1-7—“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship & bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand....”
Jn. 16:20-22—[Jesus in anticipation of His imminent death]“Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep & lament, but the world will rejoice; & you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again & your heart will rejoice, & your joy no one will take from you.
Jude 1:24, 25—“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy[agalliaw], To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory & majesty, Dominion & power, Both now & forever. Amen.”
Rev. 19:5-9—“Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants & those who fear Him, both small & great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters & as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad & rejoice[agalliaw] & give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, & His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean & bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
Illustration:
Riding in the back of an ambulance with one you love who has met with trauma/Though there is uncertainty & fear, there is a joy in knowing that you have experienced help for them which you could not give/INTERNAL JOY
Inside ‘our’ house—The pastorium/Everything that is ours is there/We live there—It is our home—Peace, Love, Comfort is there/YET—it is not our house...Not our possession...It is only loaned to us, on a basis of our faithfulness to my position/And in that, We ‘greatly rejoice’...in our having it/INTERNAL JOY
Likewise Christians have an Internal Joy regarding their inheritance in Christ. It is theirs solely because the Lord God has willed it to be by faith.
Black Bears going thru the dumpster in the church parking lot/They drag plastic bags full of garbage to their favorite place to go thru it/In the process they straw garbage along the way, making a huge mess/
In-house celebration/Birth of baby/INTERNAL JOY
On a business trip(Skidaway cruises/Truck driving)/After a week on the road, can’t wait to get home!/INTERNAL JOY
Application:
?You accepted God’s offer of INTERNAL JOY?
?In your opinion is God Great & to be Blessed?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
People never realizing what’s so great about Florida or Carrabelle.
Action:
God is Great because He offers...
6. STANDING INHERITANCE(:4-5)
7. INTERNAL JOY(:6)
1. GOD(:3a)
2. His MEANS OF SALVATION(:3a)
3. MERCY(:3b)
4. REGENERATION(:3b)
5. VIBRANT HOPE(:3b-c)
Pts. 6-7 Presented 02/22/2015am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave A) SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
