Jesus the Alpha and Omega of Bible Study - Chapter 13

3:32But I want to take an e, I want to take our time. I wrote this chapter, it's really kind of one of the exciting chapters for me because I get to focus on what God is giving us. Sometimes I think, okay, I'm being conformed into the image of Christ. So what? Stop. It is a gift. The Father only knows how to give the absolute best gifts to his children. And guess what that gift is to us?

4:07Conformity to his Son. A precious, valuable gift. And so I want to just read to you these verses, very simple verses. Probably read them many times. 1 Peter 1:1, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Those who reside as aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, I'm sorry, Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood. I'm going to stop there and just take you into this. If you have the book, I'm in chapter 13, and you can just follow along. I'll be highlighting some thoughts.

5:05But just to begin with, set your mind on this. We just read a passage that reveals to us, that shows us that each person of the Trinity plays a role in forming Christ's likeness in mankind. In fact, each person of the Trinity plays a role in forming Christ's likeness in you. Want to interact with God? Three persons, you'll see it right here in this passage. 1 Peter 1:2, I just read this to you, but just giving you a little brief overview. Peter is an apostle of Jesus Christ. That's what starts Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. And then he uses the word electois to the elect.

6:00To the chosen. The very first words in this book, after Peter mentions his name, is the word elect, electos. You who are chosen. That's how he starts this letter. And it's a very appropriate way to start this letter because these churches are scattered. They're undergoing Nero's persecution. You're at the very beginning of Nero's persecution. Both Peter and Paul are going to be martyred in this persecution. Many have been scattered all over Asia and all over the as a result. And they're not feeling very accepted.

6:53And God says, that's okay, Peter, just to start comforting these people. He starts with, you're chosen. I know you think you're rejected by everything, all the circumstances around you. It screams in your ears, you are rejected. But I want to start out with, you are chosen. You are special. You are called. You are specially loved. And that is how he begins to comfort. In fact, I think as we approach this tonight, We're touching upon one of the most special doctrines in all of scripture, and that is the doctrine of election: that God loves his people. And there are some of you, this doctrine, it's like one of the most important doctrines for you to understand that God loves you, He set His love on you before you even came on the scene.

8:02And this is so important truth and a fundamental truth that I think at the core, this one is attacked probably more than just about any of them. And this is the way the attack comes. You read a scripture like this, and you cannot get around it. Chosen. And by the way, that's the very same word that is used in a few verses later to speak about Christ. Christ as His chosen one, very same word, you as His chosen one.

8:37And, but here's how it comes: that you hear this, okay, you read the scripture, and God is saying to you, Listen, I set my love on you long before you ever realized it. In fact, the reason that there is a relationship between you and God right now is because He pursued. You. He loved you first. But the way this teaching gets stolen is you'll hear a voice say, That's not fair. That's not fair. Listen, this is about mercy.

9:25It's about mercy. And when, and whenever you read this, you'll find this teaching a lot in these situations where there's needing a lot of comfort. But I want you to see how special this chosen status is. Each person of the Trinity is involved and is doing something. And I want you to see this as we go through Christ-likeness. This is God's finest gift, God's finest gift to his people. It's his finest gift ever, anywhere, to anyone, at any time.

10:27And Peter expressed the standard. Of Christ's likeness in the phrase to obey Jesus Christ. Look back there. Elect, you are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to obey Jesus Christ. To obey Jesus Christ. And it's not even a phrase isn't even a verb, it's a noun, and it speaks of a state of being in compliance. It's like, let me tell you what God has done: He has called you, He has chosen you to be in a state of compliance with Jesus Christ.

11:15That's what the election is about. And I can tell you, the non-elect have no desire to be in compliance with Jesus Christ. But for those who love his name, being in a state of compliance with Jesus Christ is the greatest treasure. It's a state, so Christ-likeness is this state of being in compliance with Jesus Christ. And it's merciful. God, there's nothing unjust about God whatsoever. This is an act of mercy. This isn't trying to prove God's justice. This is proving God's mercy.

12:14And he is communicating this to a people who desperately need to hear this. And if you will let this truth take root in your soul, you'll be able to stand with joy in the midst of persecutions even as great as Nero's. And that's how he begins to strengthen these churches that have been rejected all over the place. But such a Christ-like state is necessary for eternal fellowship with God, but it's beyond our ability to achieve. You have to be in a state of eternal compliance with Jesus Christ if you're going to have an eternal relationship with your heavenly Father. And guess what? You're not going to get there on your own. So, guess what? God Himself, Father, Son, Spirit, stepped into your world to bring this about, to accomplish this in you. In order to give you the gift of Christ-likeness, he had to accomplish it in you.

13:34And this is how he begins to comfort these persecuted churches. These churches. And Peter did not view God's grace as an excuse that relieved a person from moral responsibility. He viewed grace as that favor of God expressed by forming Christ-likeness in his people. This is what grace is. Grace is, listen, God only knows how to give the very best gifts. And he gives them to the highest degree in the fullest measure. That's who he is. And so his favor, grace itself, is bringing about this eternal state of Christ-likeness in you. That is what grace does.

14:25It doesn't just relieve you of duty. That's man's creation of grace. And such grace equipped them for the ultimate victory of joy in the presence of Jesus Christ at his revelation. Let me just read to you, verses six through nine. Well, let me just read him, verse five. You are protected, going on about these people. You are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this, you greatly receive. Rejoiced, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible, full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. You know what the ultimate victory in life is? Is joy in the presence of Christ at his revelation. When he comes to be there, standing in joy, not, oh, it's him. I'm out of here. Right? And that's what sinful, that's what a heart that's not in compliance.

15:58Those hearts flee, they run. And so he's got to bring this about as his greatest gift. What exactly is Peter? Did Peter see as comforting? Their eternal state of Christ-likeness guaranteed by their chosen status. Do you want to be like Christ? Do you love Christ? Do you want to be in him? Do you want to grow like him? Do you want to? Want to then listen. That's that desire has been put there by something holy, by someone holy. You didn't just dream that up. That's evidence that God Himself is active in your life.

16:52Peter saw this Christ-like state and the blessings associated with it as a triune God's gracious gift to his people. And you know, you talk about a guy who understood failure. Let me tell you where his hope was. His hope was no longer in himself. He had been there, he had done that, he knows what happens. And his confidence was in this that Jesus Himself had, and by his spirit, was bringing him into a state of eternal compliance. And so, with that, okay, the future is ours. Go, even in the midst of Nero's persecution. But I want you to see how each member of the Trinity, each person of the Trinity plays a role in bringing out this Christ-like state in us.

17:51Fellowship with God. This is what it looks like. Let's go. We'll just look at those verses again. Peter and Apostle of Jesus Christ to those who reside as aliens who are chosen. They are chosen. Why? According to the foreknowledge of God the Father. You see the work of the Father there? God the Father. According to the foreknowledge of God the Father. And what is the foreknowledge? Foreknowledge, it's not, it's that word prognosis. You've probably heard it, right? An outcome based upon a certain condition, right? What is their condition? They are chosen. They are choice. Same word as used for Christ, who is also foreknown. This same word is going to also describe Christ in the very same word in verse 20. Look at it and you can circle this. For he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. Who was foreknown? What does that mean? It's a relational term. Who was foreloved? Like Adam knew his wife. Abraham knew his wife. It's that relational aspect. It's not just, well, I know what's going to happen. Oh, yeah, he does know what's going to happen. There is a prognosis. He understands what's going to happen, but he understands it because of the condition. And the condition is you're specially loved by your heavenly Father. That's why your prognosis is so. Good is because you are specially loved by your Heavenly Father.

19:37Let that sink in. Specially loved by your Heavenly Father. And because of that, your prognosis. These people's prognosis was very exciting and comforting, even though they've lost everything, many of them, and scattered. But it's the loving desire. That's that word, prognosis. Peter described God's work in his people as that effort that started with the loving desire of the Father. That's where it all begins. The loving desire of the Father. And Peter used the same word, as I mentioned, a few verses later, to describe Christ. He's not just talking about abstract knowledge of Christ. No, there's a relationship there that he foreloved. He loved Christ's likeness.

20:36And this is what's exciting. Both the Savior and those He saves are intimately foreloved by the Father. That's where it all begins. I like to do this. If you've been here, you probably remember me doing this, but close your eyes for just a second and imagine a tree. Imagine a tree, the most beautiful tree you could ever imagine. Okay, I hope you're. Your eyes. Did you imagine your tree without the branches? No, you didn't, did you?

21:09Your tree had branches. Same with Christ. He didn't imagine a Christ without his people. It doesn't make sense, right? Christ without a people, Messiah, leader, king without a people. Same with God. He imagined both Christ and Christ's people, same terms, loved by the heavenly Father. This is the fountain of true grace. And don't let it be taken from you. Even if you can't fully explain it, it's there, plain as day. And I tell you, the more I study the scripture, the more I realize that there's just some things I just can't get my mind around. But I come to it and I see it, and it is given for the well-being of your soul.

22:02Both the Savior and those he saves, intimately loved by the Father, without division. His prognosis for his people is that they will have a glorious future because of his love for them. That's where we have it. There is assurance. As Jeff preached the Morning, right? Faith. That's what takes the promise. That's what guarantees the promise, right? If you don't believe, you're cut off from all these. You believe you're alive. Nowhere else, let me just give you some examples here. And I have a little section here on page 167, and I'd love to just spend some time reading all these texts. But I want you to see how much the Father loved the Son. He loves his Son. The Heavenly Father loves his Son. He loves Christ. Nowhere else is a birth of an individual celebrated by a multitude of the heavenly hosts saying, Glory to God in the highest. Remember when his birth was announced?

23:26Has that ever happened? No, but when Christ is born, wow, heaven is just, heaven's excitement just fills the whole countryside, right? And days later, God glorified Jesus again in the temple through the mouth of Simon, Simeon, I'm sorry, saying, My eyes have seen your salvation. This is God excited about the Son who has come into the world. This is God, the Father. Glorifying his son. Afterward, God again glorified Jesus by dignified men from the east who fell to the ground and worshipped him and presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. See how God's excited about this child. This is heavenly father's excitement. And it just goes on throughout. I could cite example after example, but the father's delight in his son has emphatically expressed itself at Jesus' baptism when the voice from heaven announced, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. It's like God himself says, in case you guys miss it, this is the one I'm really excited about. This is the one I'm really well pleased. Pay attention to this one. That's the heavenly father. That's heaven's excitement spilling over to earth about this individual.

25:00Peter heard a similar word on the Mount of Transfiguration and emphatically attributed them to the Father's honoring and glorifying his son. The Father loves the Son. You don't want to know what the Father is excited about? It's all over the pages of Scripture. Jesus Christ. Heaven's excitement spills over on earth. To earth. God glorified Jesus at his death by the veil being torn in two. What all these millions of sacrifices through the millennia could not accomplish one sacrifice.

25:53Resurrected bodies coming out of the tombs, the centurion confessing, truly, this was the Son of God. Going on with the resurrection, the ascension, and many, many, many other ways, the Father glorified Jesus. And in all these ways, Jesus could not have possibly glorified himself. This was not Jesus glorifying himself. This was the Father, His heavenly Father, glorifying him. And such heavenly honor came from His Father. This honor was an expression of the Father's delight in His Son.

26:36You can't miss that on the pages of Scripture. It's all over. Just a casual reading. You realize the Father loves the Son. God the Father loves God the Son. But here's another way that the Father also glorifies the Son. And he does that by wanting others to love and admire Him as well. Well, you see what God is really the God the Father is really excited about his Son. And so, guess what? The way He glorifies you, you've seen several ways, many ways that the Father glorified the Son. You know one another way is He wants other people to delight in His Son like He delights in His Son. And that's the way the Father glorifies the Son.

27:33And for this reason, because the Father loves the Son and wants all to honor, respect, love, and admire him. For this reason, the Father has purposed that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. See, the Father has a purpose for humanity, and this, His Son, is His supreme delight. And one of the ways He, well, one of the ways the Father's love for His Son is expressed is in giving him a people who will bear His likeness and so put His beauty on display. You see, this hasn't really gotten, it's now starting to get to us, isn't it? The Father really. Loves the Son. Christ's likeness is the joyful expression of the Father's love for the Son. And he loves the Son so much that he wants humanity to look like him, to be like him.

28:51Do you see how that is an expression of the Father's glorifying the Son? He wants his beauty put on display in all of humanity. And that's what he's going to do. That's the purpose of Christ's likeness. That's the expression of the Father's love for his Son. Now, let me tell you about the Father's love for us. The Father's love for us is expressed by transforming us into the image of his beloved Son. Do you see how giving a people to look like him is an expression of love for the son, but it's also an expression of love for the people who get to bear his image. That's the gift.

29:42The father's love for us is expressed by transforming us into the image of his beloved son. You look at his son. Wow. Who wants to follow him? This guy. Went through this world sacrificially, giving himself tirelessly, tirelessly ministering to the needs, giving himself out completely. He who wants to follow that, you don't, unless something of the Father has been placed in you. Because the natural person doesn't want to follow someone like this, but it's his expression of love for you and me to let us look like him. Okay, so that's the loving desire of the Father. Okay, so let's look back. That's the Father. Remember, when you're talking about God, we talk about God, Father, Son, Spirit. That's God. Okay? Talked about God the Father. I want to talk about God the Son. One in essence, no division.

31:16Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Okay, now the Holy Spirit is involved in that. Right? Okay, so it's the loving desire of the Father that drives this, originates it, but it is the Holy Spirit, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, that is going to bring about this state of obedience or compliance to Jesus Christ. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is the effort by which He causes a person to belong completely to God. It is the Holy Spirit who is going to cause, bring, sanctify, set a person apart. Sanctification is taking out of the common mass and setting it aside for a noble purpose.

32:14And that's what the Holy Spirit does, causes a person to belong completely to God. That's what compliance, Jesus Christ looks like. Peter described the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in the phrases to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood. So the Holy Spirit is going to bring about this state of obedience to Jesus Christ, the state of compliance, eternal compliance. So that's part of his sanctifying work. Fundamental to that is that being sprinkled with his blood.

32:53So two phrases there: obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood. We'll look at the second. Get the need for the Holy Spirit to sanctify. See, man's problem is that in his fallen nature, fallen state, is that he does not comply with God's righteousness. You and I know that. We look around, we see that, we look inside, and we see that a state of being out of compliance. And you see, we need more than just pardon for sin.

33:29We need more than just pardon because, you know, what happened with Adam in the garden? He didn't have sin, and he messed up paradise. You know, and so then if we just get cleansed, but there isn't a real change of compliance, what are we going to do? We'll mess up another paradise, right? We need more than just pardon for sin, but he can't deal with us until he deals with our sin, right? And so, for it to be just, you want to talk about justice. There's two doctrines in the scripture that talk about God's justice. Number one is hell, and number two is the cross. Justice is served.

34:16And so, the cross, if he's going to deal with us in a loving way, it has to be right. And that's what Jesus sprinkling of his blood. Happens. For the Holy Spirit, I have to go kind of quickly here, but in order for the Holy Spirit to bring about a state of obedience to Christ, several things have to happen. Number one, the Holy Spirit has to communicate the message of obedience, right? We don't know what obedience is, so the Holy Spirit has to communicate obedience if he's bringing about a state of obedience among volitional individuals. We have volition, we make decisions. He's not just putting instinct. We are responsible human beings with a mind, with a will, and the free exercise thereof.

35:16And so we have to understand that message of obedience if we are going to interact and comply. And so he has to communicate it. Second, he has to enable us to understand the message. Fallen man does not understand God. So how can we understand his message? Third, he has to empower us to obey. The Holy Spirit does all of this. I'll just, the Holy Spirit inspired God's word. Well, let me just slow down, I guess. Why does God speak? Why does he bring about this? Why does he speak?

36:05Why am I speaking to you right now? So that we can have a relationship, right? A meaningful relationship. We interact through words. Without the communication, and we're spiritual beings, we cannot interact. But through words, as you listen to the words, you hear as I listen to you. That's what words do. They give us the basis of interaction. How do two spiritual beings interact? Well, Nancy and I talk to each other. Well, guess what? Same was true with God. He desires a meaningful relationship with humanity, so he gives us his words. He wants to interact. So the substance, what has to be communicated, is the Father's will. That's the substance, the heavenly Father's will. The agent of communicating his will is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit communicates. And the special means to communicate comes through God's word.

37:07So inspiration is the articulating of God's word. Illuminating is opening the minds to understand God's word. That's when we wouldn't understand it if God didn't open our minds to understand it and give us a desire for the things of God. He already, he has to work on us just even for us to want to engage him. Listen, fallen man, we want to go our own way. We don't want God invading our world, so we want to go this way. And we're not trying to listen, and so something has to change in us to even give us something that has to work on us just to give us a desire and a thirst for the things of God.

38:02And so, the work of the Holy Spirit, we call it illumination, to open your mind to understand what has been revealed. And then, regeneration, enabling a response to God's word. Dead people don't really respond, and so something has to happen in that newness of life. And there we have this God's work, man's faith, and coming together there as a connection. But regeneration, you're not going to respond unless God does something. It's impossible, as Jesus said, unless one is born again to even see, let alone enter the kingdom of God.

38:53There's a third person in the Trinity that is responsible for. Active in bringing about this obedience to Jesus Christ, and that is the Son Himself, Himself. So, you have Christ's likeness, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood. The expression to be sprinkled with His blood implies sacrifice. Son is going to sacrifice. And there's a couple things about this sacrifice. Number one, the reality of it. The sacrifice really did happen. You really do have to have your sin taken care of before you can have a relationship with your Heavenly Father.

39:51And until God became flesh, God could not pay for your sins. Until God became flesh, he had no flesh and blood to give for the life of this world. God is pure Spirit. Spirit can't die. He had to become flesh. Takla, this is the miracle of Christmas, right? God took upon flesh. Why? So that he could. Take that and pay for our sins. The penalty of death is sin. And until God took upon flesh, he had no flesh and blood to lay down for the life of this world. And Scripture is very clear. Early on, Leviticus 17, 11 and others, that the life of the flesh is in the blood. And until God took upon flesh, he had no flesh or blood to lay down for the life of this world. That's the miracle. The incarnation. God stepped into the world, took upon flesh. Why? So that he could lay that sin, that's that flesh down as a sin offering and sprinkle his people with his blood. It's like he took all of us, his people. Think about the tree, the Christ and his people, and he took them, and they were crucified there with him on the cross.

41:32And they were raised again alive in him. We have been crucified with Christ, not we will be. We have been crucified with Christ. That was our talk at man camp, wasn't it? But you think about what happens with physical bread. If you make an analogy, you take bread in order to get your body. If you had a piece of bread and you need its nutrients, you take it in. Ingest it, you chew it up, you swallow it so that it's you internalize it so that its nutrients can be given to you. Well, Christ's body had to be given in sacrifice and appropriated through faith before it provides the spiritual benefits to the recipients. You must internalize Christ's death. Sprinkle, think about the internal state of Christ's likeness, the loving desire of the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, by the perfect sacrifice of his Son. That Son must be internalized, must be believed, taken in by faith, believed in, understood that God Himself came down, laid down His life for us so that we would have an eternal relationship with Him in a compliant state with which He can dwell with forever. And that is His absolute and most exciting person gift is in His Son.

42:56He was given for His people. Internalize that truth. Talk to you a little bit about the benefit of His sacrifice. The covenant made at Sinai in Exodus vividly depicts the benefit that the sprinkling of blood provided. Before that sprinkling of blood in Exodus, Exodus 19, you remember, no one could step foot on the mountain, not even an animal, right? Because they would die, right? And God made it very clear: no one is to touch, only Moses could go up. But then, after the people had been sprinkled with the blood, guess what? Some of the representatives of Israel were able to go up the mountain and have a meal.

44:02Fellowship with God on the mountain. Fellowship, access. That's the benefit. Peter referred to the precious blood of Christ as a metaphor for his death on the cross. That's the sprinkling of his blood, internalized by faith. Do you believe that God laid down his life for you? That he understood you, he understood your sin, and he took that into account. He laid himself up on the cross, gave himself, provided himself as the sacrifice. You have fellowship with him.

44:56Believe that. And you have fellowship with him. There isn't another sacrifice out there, more confident. Do you think his sacrifice wasn't good enough? No, you have it. Believe it. Go through life on this truth. And that's why those who found their build their house upon these truths don't fall down when the winds come, rains, or Nero's persecution. But there's something else. The perfect humanity. There's Christ's sacrifice. There is the reality of it, the benefits of it. But another aspect is that Christ's sacrifice revealed the perfect humanity, the perfect humanity. In somewhat of a startling statement, Jesus declared the reason why the Father loves the Son.

46:03He said this in John 10:17, For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it again. You might think, you might be expected for him to say something like, For this reason, the Father loves me just because he loves me. No, he puts a reason, because I lay my life down. I lay down my life so that I may take it up. The love of the Father is eternally linked to the perfect obedience of the Son. That is why. This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. Because the love of the Father is eternally linked to the perfect obedience of the Son. That's what he loves.

46:54So I'll read to you a quote here from Carson, I think, that explains this. Well, it's not that the Father withholds his love until Jesus agrees to give up his life on the cross and rise again. Rather, the love of the Father for the Son is eternally linked with the unqualified obedience of the Son to the Father, his utter dependence upon him culminating in this greatest act of obedience, the willingness to bear the shame and ignomy of Gogotha, the isolation and rejection of death, the sin and curse reserved for the Lamb of God. He trusted God. He loved his Father so much that he just went with even the shame of being crucified and the curse reserved for the Lamb. That's perfect humanity. Adam didn't even get out of the gate, hardly, right? Didn't, right?

48:00He was in paradise and couldn't trust the Father. And the perfect humanity trusts Father even on the cross. You see the perfect humanity. Do you see why the Father delights in the Son? What's really exciting is the Son wants to share that. You would think the Son would be like, I've got a corner on the market. No way am I going to share my likeness with anyone else. I've got the absolute favor of the Father. Mine, mine, mine. I'm keeping that.

48:48That's not him at all. It's like, have it. It's the beauty of Christ. Christ's likeness at its core consists of unqualified obedience to the Father's will as an expression of love for him. Jesus' sacrifice provided the perfect revelation of what man will become. That's the perfect humanity. That's what we're becoming. And it's his gift. And it's what the Father is doing. It's what the Spirit is doing. And it is what the Spirit is doing. The Son has done.

49:36So, by three comprehensive acts chosen, fittingly identify God's people: the Father's unconditional favor, the Son's sufficient sacrifice, the Holy Spirit's sanctifying ministry. That does it. These acts will confirm God's people in Christ-like godliness. That's where we're going. That's, if you're in Christ, that's where you will arrive. So, let's just have done with lesser things. Let's live out who we are. Let's go forward. The glory of it. A few moments. I just want to give you a picture of the glory here.

50:35After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, notice that phrase, eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. What is this glory? His eternal glory in Christ. Remember how excited the Heavenly Father is about his Son. Could you imagine your Heavenly Father that excited about you? Let me tell you what being a branch in the tree is all about sharing this glory.

51:26God's eternal delight. That's the eternal glory. The smile upon that face. Let me read to you a quote that I have here. C.S. Lewis says it well. He pictures a time we're all going to stand before Christ and He's going to look upon us. And in an instance, instant, He's going to confirm on us an everlasting glory or an everlasting shame. Let me just read to you. In that end, that face, which is the delight or terror of the universe, must be turned upon each of us, either with one expression or with the other, either confirming glory inexpressible or inflicting shame that can never be cured or disguised. It is written that we shall stand before him, shall appear. Shall be inspected. The promise of glory is the promise almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ that some of us, that any of us who really chooses, shall actually survive that examination, shall find approval, shall please God. And listen to what he says: to please God, to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness, to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in, as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son. It seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain, but so it is.

53:25God is so excited about his son and bringing about a state of eternal compliance. This is what being chosen is about. Do you want to be like Christ? You see, Christ's likeness is that eternal weight of glory that the triune God gives to his people. He gives us that which he delights in the most. That's the kind of giver he is. And you and I are just caught up in this mutant in the middle of this beautiful relationship between the Father and the Son. The Father loves the Son so much that He wants you and I to bear His image. He loves you and I so much that He wants us to bear His image. We are simply caught up in this love relationship between the Father and the Son. And this is why the Father gives His Son a bride, which we call the church.

54:39Are you one of us tonight? You can be. Ask God to create in you what He wants to create in you. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and welcome His work and then watch Him work. This gift of Christ-likeness began in the mind of the Father, and it is accomplished by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit on the basis of the blood of Christ. The goal of such work is obedience to Jesus Christ and fellowship forever with the Father who delights in Him.

55:26I think I'll just stop. Well, a couple more minutes. Until we grasp the reality that God's greatest gift to us is conformity to Christ, we will never be content in our present situation. It's not about your present situation. This life is about transformation. This life is about being conformed into the image of Christ. And until you get that, that's what he's giving you. Until you get that, you'll never be content. However, once you do get this, once you do understand that God is, hasn't abandoned you, just like these churches, and this is what Peter is saying: look, know your choice in his eyes. You're not abandoned by him.

56:13Once you grasp this truth, God's greatest gift to you is Christ's likeness. Once you grasp that, you can be satisfied in some of the most trying circumstances of life, even Nero's persecution, where Peter himself is said to have been crucified upside down. That's the true grace. As Peter said in 1 Peter 5:12, this is the true grace. Stand firm in it. Don't let someone take it away. Got two minutes, so I can take a question or two.

56:57I'll also stay up here if somebody wants to come up. But I hope you get a sense of the goodness of how valuable Christ's likeness is, and that you would just go on with life. Welcoming Christ in your life, welcoming his way, forgiving, loving, following. That's the greatest treasure. That's what life's about. That's what following him's about. Yes, sir, one minute. Well, certainly Christ was about his people. Christ, when you see him in Revelation, he's amongst the lampstands. His attention, his love is on the people of Christ. The Father loves the Son, loves the. And so the commands to love one another can only be carried out in the context of a local church. Yes, we're part of the church universal, but God specifically wants you involved in a church, a local church, so that you too, using your Gifts. God has given you gifts so that you would strengthen, edify, and build up that church and sanctify the church. And the church isn't complete without you, and you're not complete without the church, because that's where the gifts are given for the maturing into Christ's likeness. So thank you very much. That's an element of God's pleasing desire, and that's why he's so active and pays attention to the church.

59:02Well, let me let you go. Let me pray, and then I'll stay up here for some questions. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this tremendous gift. Help us to just let these truths go down deep. Help us just to simply take your word at face value and believe it. Let these truths not be stolen from us. Let these truths go not fall on hard grounds, but help them go deep within our hearts. Thank you, Father, for the time you've given us together as a body. Thank you for these precious people who've gathered tonight, who have joined us live stream, Father. Thank you, and may your ultimate desire of Christ-likeness be readily formed and joyfully welcomed as we go and face this week. In Christ's name, amen.