Dwelling Place

Guest (Male): Today on the dwelling place.

Al Pittman: When we place our trust in Christ, we are spiritually sprinkled with the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ and placed under a new covenant of grace, not between God and man. If man does his part, God will do his part, but a covenant between the Father and the Son of God. Amen.

Guest (Male): Thank you for tuning in to the dwelling place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman and Calvary Worship Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We hope today's message is a blessing to you. If you like to partner with us financially, you can go to c w c c s dot org slash give text give to 719 354 2778 give directly on the one place app or mail a check to 501 Castle Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 809 04. We appreciate your generosity to help us spread the gospel. Today we start a new series called Strategic Living, a believer's journey in a strange land in 1st Peter.

You are in for a serious treat as Pastor Al is teaming up with his son, Pastor Nathan Pittman, to teach this series. Now open your Bibles to 1st Peter chapter 1 verses 1 through 9 as we'll hear from Pastor Al Pittman with a message about joyful inheritance.

Al Pittman: We are in 1st Peter chapter 1 starting a series entitled Strategic Living believers uh and believers in a believer's journey, I should say, in a strange land. And we as believers are in a strange land. We are pilgrims as we will see at Peter refers to us as pilgrims and sojourners through this life and God wants us to live with strategy. And in order to live live with strategic living as we'll see as we go through 1st Peter, the first thing Peter talks about is heritage. So today I want to talk to you about our joyful heritage that we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I pray that God will bless you through his word. Are you ready? Amen. Uh this letter was inspired of course by the Holy Spirit written by Peter nearly 2,000 years ago is a relevant message for us today because as it was back then the gospel of Jesus Christ is an offense to the world. We live in a Christ rejecting world. Uh 1st Peter again is a spiritual course on strategic living in Christ in a Christ rejecting world. It instructs us on how to soar in Christ rather than to grow sour in Christ. There's some sour people.

Amen. And their faith has grown sour rather than soaring in the Lord. And Peter tells us how to continue to soar in the Lord through the knowledge of our inheritance in Jesus Christ. The following story illustrates the power of inheritance, the power of identifying with who we really are. And uh it's a little long, but bear with me. It says while walking through the forest one day a young man a young man found a young eagle that had fallen out of its nest and it took he took it home. And he put it in a barnyard and soon began to feed it chicken feed and put it and taught it how to behave rather like a chicken.

And one day a naturalist passed by the the farm and asked why it was that the king of all birds should be confined to live in a barnyard with the chickens. And the farmer replied that since he had given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, he had never learned the bird had never learned to fly. And since it had never behaved like an eagle, but like a chicken. Still it was it or it has the heart of an eagle, the uh naturalist said. And can surely be taught to fly. So the naturalist picked up the eagle and pointed it toward the sky and said, you belong to the sky and not to the earth.

Stretch forth your wings and fly. The eagle, however, was confused. Uh he did not know who he was. And seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again. The naturalist took the bird then to the roof of the house and urged the bird again, the eagle again, saying, you are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly. But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and the world. And he jumped down once again from the chicken for the with the in the eight food with the chickens below. Finally the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain.

And there he held the king of birds is high above him and encouraged him again, saying, you have you are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly. The eagle looked around and then back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. And then the naturalist lifted him straight toward the sun. And it happened that the eagle began to tremble slowly. He stretched his wings and with a loud or triumphant cry soared away into the heavens. The knowledge of our inheritance the eagle forgotten who he was. And so it is with the knowledge of our inheritance in in Christ enables us to soar like eagles rather than live like spiritual chickens.

Peter reminds the church, you belong to the sky and not to the earth. You belong to heaven not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings, your faith and fly. This is the exhortation that we find in verses 1 to 9 here in 1st Peter chapter 1. The apostle understood that our inheritance in Christ is about identity. And that identity shows us and others what we value and what our priorities are. It's not where we've been. It's where we're going that counts. Our inheritance in Christ. It governs the way we live. It gives us the mentality of a victor rather than rather than that of a victim.

And this letter was written again to believers, both Jews and Gentiles. All of us can listen up. Amen. Jews and Gentiles scattered throughout what is known back then as Asia Minor which today is modern day Turkey. It was written around A D 62 to 64. I want you to read with me verses 1 and 2 as Peter addresses his audience. Verse 1 it says Peter and there's a lot here in verses 1 and 2 and so much I can say just two verses. And Peter an apostle of of Jesus Christ. To the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus and Galatia and Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia Bithynia Bithynia.

And uh he says to the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father sanctification sanctification in sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ grace to you and peace be multiplied. Amen. And that is the sentiment I believe of the Spirit today is for us grace to you and the peace of God be multiplied to you. And the knowledge of our inheritance should bring us grace and peace as well. And Peter clearly defines his target audience. It's those who have been born again through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And he targets and he identifies rather them in three ways. He says according to election, sanctification and redemption. Now these are not three separate categories, they're one in the same for those who have been born again in Christ. First let's look at this uh this target audience that he's speaking to here which is or writing to here which is really the church. It's you today. It's a relevant letter for us. He's talking to those who are elect. The election according to the foreknowledge of God. Uh there's been a lot of controversy in the church as some of you know that over the doctrine of election whether the doctrine of whether God chooses other people, some people and then uh he doesn't choose other people.

Uh he rejects other people, I should say. And people have debated back and forth theologians and pastors and all of that. But the idea that the Lord elects some and then no matter how much they want it rejects others is not consistent with scripture. And uh you know the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible. Amen. So I go to the Bible to understand these doctrines. And the Bible tells me in 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 9 a lot of part that God was not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Does it sound like God has elected some and rejected some? It does not. God wants how many to be saved? All. Amen. He that's his desire. You know all will not be saved. We know that because of the fact that many have rejected God's message of love to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Theologian and author uh Harry A. Ironside explains election this way and I think it's very concise and to the point. There's nothing uh fatalistic or arbitrary about election as taught in the scriptures. The gospel is to be preached to all and all who believe it may be assured that they are numbered among the elect.

Close quote. I think that's pretty concise. In other words, if you miss that he's saying that God who has foreknowledge and he knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah chapter 46 verse 10 says that God knows the end from the beginning. He has four he has four knowledge, but he has also foreordained that whoever put their faith in Jesus Christ shall be given the right to an eternal inheritance in Christ. Amen. The Bible says that God will by no wise cast out anyone who comes to him. If you come to Jesus Christ then God is ordained for you to have a divine inheritance in Christ.

The second identifying trait of the of his audience, Peter's audience is this is sanctification. They're sanctified. And those who have been set apart to the sanctification means means to be set apart for God's divine purpose and his divine will. And Peter says it this way in sanctification of the Spirit. Now in context he's not talking about the Holy Spirit in sanctification of the Spirit, in sanctification of your spirit set apart for God. That word spirit uh here in the Greek is pneuma. In this context it is the nationally uh excuse me the rational uh spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks and decides.

In other words, our reasoning if we're sanctified unto God, our reasoning, our strength, our feelings, our thoughts and our decisions are never uh apart from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They're never outside of our relationship with Christ. It's like well, you know what I want I got a reason to do some stuff, but I I'll kind of rely on my own reasoning on this. I'll call you Lord if I need some help. No. My reasoning, my feelings what I feel right now should never be outside the context of my relationship with Jesus Christ. Or the strength that I have or whatever it is.

I'm sanctified. I'm set apart for the Lord. Sanctification in Christ requires that our whole being be yielded to the Lord. That 's why he said in sanctification in obedience. I can't be obedient to the Lord if my feelings are someplace else. It kind of reminds me of the you know the little boy when his mom was disciplining him and they told him to sit down and he said I 'm sitting down, but inside I'm standing up. A lot of Christians are like that. A lot of times we do that as as believers, you know. We come to church, we sit down, but my heart's someplace else.

My feelings are someplace else. And and so it's important for us to make sure that if I'm going to be obedient to God then he must own my feelings, he must own my decision making, he must own my reasoning. He must be my strength because I'm sanctified set apart for him. Amen. It is the essence, if you will, our spirit, the essence of our spirit should be yes unto the Lord. When we say yes Lord, what are we saying? My feelings, my my my reasoning, my all, my decision making process all is yielded to you.

Yes Lord. The third identifying trait that we have here that Peter gives us is that is redemption. He talks about sprinkling of the blood. Now what's that all about? Well, in Exodus chapter 24 Moses in making a peace offering for the children of Israel uh with you know with God before God, I should say, uh took the blood of an sacrificed ox. And the Bible says he sprinkled it upon the people. Now that you know we know that when uh most scholars believe that when Moses left Egypt they had about a million people, so he didn't go around to each person, but each leader from the 12 tribes of Israel he probably sprinkled when it says he sprinkled it upon the people.

And when he sprinkled on it sprinkled it on the people he said this. He declared that this is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words, according to the words of promises of God. This is the blood of the covenant. But it was a foreshadow, the sprinkling of the blood, a foreshadow of another covenant of the new covenant that would be made through the blood of Jesus Christ. It was it was a foreshadow of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross for you and for me.

It was prophetic when Moses was uh committed this act among the uh people of Israel children of Israel. And there's a foreshadow of a covenant of everlasting grace and peace that we now have and forgiveness that we now have through faith in Jesus Christ. By his blood the debt of our sins have been paid in full. Amen. Aren't you glad about that? And thus thus we place we place our trust in Christ. We when we place our trust in Christ, we are spiritually sprinkled with the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ and placed under a new covenant of grace, not between God and man.

If man does his part, God will do his part, but a covenant between the Father and the Son of God. Amen. It's an everlasting covenant. The Bible talks about that in Hebrews chapter 9 verses 13 to 15. It says for if the blood of in of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer uh sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh. Now that's that's that's Old Testament. The book of Hebrews is written to Hebrews, is written to Jews who understood the ceremonial sacrifices of the Old Testament. And they would sprinkle people with blood for for temporary cleansing or and and purification and all of that.

And he said if if that if God recognized that in the Old Testament then he says how much more? How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit Amen offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Amen. And then he goes on and says, and for this reason is the me is uh he is the mediator, Christ is the mediator of the what? New covenant, the covenant of grace by means of death. In other words, he died for our sins and he has risen again to the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.

The first covenant was a covenant of the law. And the law condemned us all because we all sin and come short of the glory of God. So it says here that those who are uh those who are called may receive the promise of what? Eternal inheritance. Amen. In other words, you're under the new covenant of grace. And because you're under that new covenant of grace, you are candidate for the eternal inheritance that we have in Jesus Christ, inheritance of everlasting forgiveness, the inheritance of redemption, of salvation in Jesus. Amen. Oh somebody ought to be excited about that.

That's that's that's good. That's good. That's good word. Amen. That's a good word. Thus the divine inheritance is for those who are elected or sanctified and who are redeemed, one in the same who have given their lives to Jesus Christ, put their trust and faith in him. Question today is do you, watching online or you in this auditorium in this building? Do you have this inheritance? Do you know for certain today if you were to die that you'd go to heaven? And everybody's going to have going to go the pass away of death. You know.

I don't know why it's in in our hearts as human beings we're so stiff necked and stubborn. There's always that one person that thinks they're never going to die. But one out of one person dies. And do you know for certain if you were to die that you're going to heaven? And somebody put it this way, you know that uh well, what if heaven isn't real? What if it is? If it's not real, you know what? Andre Crouch used to sing a song if heaven was never promised to me neither God's uh promised to live eternally.

It's been worth having the Lord in my life. How about you? If heaven's not real, what do you gain to lose? Or what do you have to lose? Amen. And so do you know? You can know. You're going to have an opportunity before the end of this service to give your life to Jesus Christ and know that you have an eternal inheritance in Jesus right now today. Amen. And I pray that you'll make that decision today. In verses 3 to 5 read along with me here in 1st Peter chapter 1 it says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope uh uh through the resurrection resurrection of Jesus Christ uh from the dead.

Again being that we were created to know God and we were once one with God, but sin entered the world and God is bringing us in the essence back to the Garden of Eden where we have fellowship with God. Amen. And then verse 4 says to an inheritance uh incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you. Verse 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last times. Last times refers to the time when Christ will return to the earth. Uh uh the scholars believe it refers to the the the time when we the the uh uh our bodies, we will receive our new bodies uh glorified bodies in Christ.

Amen. Paul talks about that the receiving the glorified body in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 he talks extensively about it. You can go back and read it, but uh we'll we're going to receive a new body. This this body is is corrupt. It's Amen. It's fallen apart. Anybody over 60 ought to be saying Amen. And uh so but but but we're going to receive a new body. Amen. The outward man is perishing, but the inward man is being renewed day by day. Our spirits being renewed day by day in Christ. And so we're going to receive a brand new body.

And then Paul says that you know the the the the flower, the plant when it when it when it grows up looks nothing like the seed that was planted. Amen. That old shriveled up little seed or whatever it is though goes in the ground and then this beautiful plant comes out. That's the way our resurrection bodies are going to be. Amen. So our bodies may be shriveled up or whatever, but you know it's going to yield to a brand new body in Christ. Amen. And and when the Lord returns the course the could also be referring here to the last times, the rapture of the church when Jesus comes and takes his church off the face of the earth.

The Bible talks about that. 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 and that the dead in Christ will rise first and then those who are alive and remain will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Amen. Will you be on that trip? Amen. That's a tour that you can make. Amen. By simply putting your faith in Christ you can be there too. And so the Bible promises those times and need the last times and we're living the Bible says in the last days as well. But here in verses 3 to 5 Peter reveals four attributes of our glorious inheritance.

We're talking about inheritance this morning. Uh first we see that our inheritance in Christ is a living inheritance. Jesus Christ has called us to a living hope Jesus because Christ has risen from the dead. Amen. Verse 3 tells us and uh because Christ lives our inheritance is secure. Aren't you glad you have a secured inheritance in Jesus Christ that cannot be stolen or anything like that because he's risen from the dead. 1st Corinthians chapter 15 says that if Christ is not risen uh your faith is futile. And he says you are still in your sins if Christ is not risen from the dead.

And then also these those rather who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

Guest (Male): Again, thank you for joining us today. Tune in tomorrow to hear the conclusion of this message. If you were blessed by today's message, consider partnering with us financially. You can go to c w c c s dot org slash give text give to 719 354 2778 give directly on the one place app or mail a check to 501 Castle Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 809 04. We appreciate your generosity to help us spread the gospel. We would love to hear from you. Please email us at Amen at c w c c s dot org if you need prayer or want to speak with the pastor.

If you live or visiting the Colorado Springs area, we would love for you to join us at one of our services. We have services on Saturday at 6 p m, Sunday at 8 a m, 10 a m and 12 noon. If you can't make it, join us online. We stream our 10 a m service every Sunday. Just head to our website or join us on YouTube. You can find us on YouTube by typing c w c c s. May the rest of your day be richly blessed. We'll see you next time on the dwelling place.