Kept

Q: What does the Bible say about being born again?

The Bible states that being born again is the result of God's abundant mercy and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that being born again is a miraculous act of God’s mercy, as stated in 1 Peter 1:3, where it emphasizes that God has 'begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.' This new birth is not a result of human choice or effort but is entirely rooted in God’s grace and power. The concept reveals that when one is born again, they are born of incorruptible seed through the living word of God, which abides forever. As believers, we acknowledge this incredible transformation, which signifies receiving a new nature through the Holy Spirit.

Q: How do we know that salvation is by grace alone?

Salvation is by grace alone, as indicated in Ephesians 2:4-5, which speaks of God's rich mercy and love toward the undeserving. The assurance that salvation is by grace alone can be found prominently in Ephesians 2:4-5, which points out that it is 'by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.' This reinforces the idea that our salvation is not based on human works but solely on God's abundant mercy. It emphasizes that God loved us even when we were dead in our sins, demonstrating that our condition did not merit salvation. Instead, God’s decision to save is entirely due to His grace, showcasing His sovereign choice as the foundation of our hope and assurance.

Q: Why is the resurrection of Christ important for Christians?

The resurrection of Christ is crucial as it confirms our justification and provides assurance of our salvation. The resurrection of Christ is paramount for Christians as it solidifies the truth of our justification before God. Romans 4:25 states that 'He was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.' This means that Christ’s resurrection is a definitive validation that His sacrifice for our sins was accepted by God. Moreover, it offers believers the assurance that they have been reconciled to God. The resurrection is not just a historical event but is central to the believer’s faith, as it guarantees the future resurrection and eternal life of those who trust in Him, reinforcing the foundation of the Gospel.

Q: What does it mean to be kept by the power of God?

Being kept by the power of God means that believers are preserved in their faith through God's omnipotent protection. To be kept by the power of God signifies that believers are sustained and preserved by God's sovereign will. In 1 Peter 1:5, it says we are 'kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.' This implies that our protection and perseverance in faith are not reliant on our own strength but on God's omnipotent capability. It creates an assurance that, despite the trials and temptations that may come, God actively safeguards His people until the day of salvation is fully revealed. The power that raised Christ from the dead assures us that our salvation is secure and that we are under the divine guardianship of our Creator.

Lynn said last night, what did you get for your mother? I said, well, I don't have a mother now. She's gone. She said, I'm your mother. 1 Peter 1. Kept. Verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last Let's pray.

Lord, how we thank you for your word. How we thank you for your son, the word. Lord, we ask that your gospel would be preached in the power of your spirit, that we would be given ears to hear the glad tidings. Lord, we're so thankful for who you are. We're so thankful for all your glorious attributes. We're so thankful that you are pleased to make yourself known to us for your son's sake. We're so thankful for the forgiveness of sins.

Lord, we ask in Christ's name that he would be glorified that you would deliver us from hearing the words and opinions and the thoughts of a man, but that we might be enabled to hear from thee. Be with all your people wherever they meet together. Forgive us of our sins for the Lord's sake. In his name we pray, amen.

Blessed. Now this word is used eight times. And every time it's referring to God the Father. The blessedness of God. I love to think of him before time began. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit in utter blessedness, adoring one another. before time began. It's always important for us to remember that God didn't need to create us. He was perfectly blessed in himself, rejoicing in the three persons of the divine Trinity, Jehovah the Father, Jehovah the Son, Jehovah the Holy Spirit, self-existent, having no needs. All God's attributes come out of his self-existence. but he was pleased to create and he was pleased to save.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively or a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now, here is why we're born again, because of His abundant mercy. Now, I love to think of the fact that He delights in mercy. It gives him joy to bestow mercy. Isn't that a wonderful attribute of our God? He delights in mercy. Mercy rejoices against judgment, James says. God is merciful when he made himself known to Moses. How did he make himself known? When he proclaimed his name before Moses? The Lord, the Lord God merciful. First thing he said, now understand this.

He delights in mercy. And if you're born again, it's because of his abundant mercy toward you. God, who is rich in mercy. for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together." Note that word together. Together with Christ. When Christ was raised from the dead, I was raised from the dead.

I'm born again because of his abundant mercy toward me. Now look back at verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again. When I was looking over my notes, I thought, what a miracle that God begat me. Do you believe on Christ? It's because God birthed you. You've been born again by the Spirit of God.

And you know, what I was thinking about is I think about this and I can't grasp of the greatness of it because of the flesh I still have, but I have a nature begotten of God. What a mystery. What a glorious thing. Even while I'm speaking with you right now, I know very little of it or understand a little of it, but I have some understanding. He's begotten us again.

Look across the page to verse 23, the first Peter chapter one. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Here's that word that lives and abides forever, all flesh is his grass. I love it when Isaiah chapter 40, the voice said, cry. I said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass. All flesh is grass. And all the glory of man is the flower of the grass. The grass withers, the flower fades away, but the word of our God shall endure forever.

Now that's gospel preaching. That is what begets life, life through the word, through the word that reveals the living word. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. Turn to 2 Peter chapter one. Verse four, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these, these precious promises, you might be partakers of the divine nature.

I wish I knew how to speak appropriately about that, but this describes every believer When you're birthed by the spirit, that which is born of the flesh, the Lord said in John chapter three is flesh. It'll never get beyond that. It'll never rise above that. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. And we're painfully aware of that even right now, aren't we? But that which is born of the spirit is spirit. That's the spirit that does not commit sin. In first John chapter three, verse nine, God can't commit sin. That which is born of God cannot commit sin. Now, stand in awe, believer. Do you look to Christ only as everything in your salvation? You don't look anywhere else but Him. You have no other hope but Him. Is that real to you? You've been birthed of God. That's why. being born again.

Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever for all fleshes as grass and all the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass withers, the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord. And here, the word word is not logos, it's Ramah, I think the way you pronounce it is Ramah. It's a different word, but the point being the spoken word of the Lord. The spoken word of the Lord abides forever and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. If you hear the gospel, this is what you hear. All flesh is Christ. All the glory of man is the flower of grass, but the word of the Lord, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ abides forever.

Now look in verse three again, if first Peter chapter one, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a living hope. Not a dead hope, but a living hope. Why is this a living hope? Because he lives. He is my hope. He lives, my hope lives. He hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now this is my living hope, Christ raised from the dead. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I'm alive forevermore and have the keys of hell and death. My living hope is him who lives.

Ephesians 2.14 says he is our hope. What's your hope? He is. All my hope is in him. He's begotten us again unto a living, a living hope because he lives by his resurrection from the dead. Now, I love to think about Christ being in that tomb, dead, graveyard dead, and God raising him from the dead. The only witness of this was God himself, of the resurrection of his son.

And what took place during that resurrection, I don't know. I like to think that there was some kind of flash of light above the light of the sun, the way they saw him in the Mount of Transfiguration, when his face shined as the sun. Did that happen? I don't know.

But I know this, he was raised from the dead. And his resurrection from the dead says he is who he said he was. That's what his resurrection says. Everything he said about himself was true. His rising from the dead is the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose.

Now listen to the words of Peter at sermon on Pentecost. And I love to think of the way he began this sermon. I know a lot of preachers would say you shouldn't begin with something so complicated when he began by saying him being delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God. That's where Peter began. Peter, don't you know people have to have more understanding? You can't talk about things like that yet. Oh, nobody understands anything we're saying anyway, unless God reveals it. And this is where Peter began.

The resurrection of Christ is God's eternal purpose. That's why he created the universe. So Christ could live, die, and be raised from the dead. What a wonderful thought. This is God's eternal purpose. His resurrection speaks of his finished atonement. Now, if he wasn't raised from the dead, it is finished would be meaningless. But when he said it is finished because he was raised from the dead, that tells us that our salvation is finished. Relax. There's nothing for you to do. He did it all. It is finished. It is done. The resurrection of Christ is the very foundation of the gospel. If he lived and didn't die and wasn't raised, we'd have no hope.

Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4, when he, I declare unto you the gospel, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and was buried and raised again the third day according to the scriptures. And that according to the scriptures is so important. People say, what do you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ? That's the gospel. No, it's how that he died for our sins.

According to the scriptures, the old Testament scriptures and was buried according to the old Testament scriptures and was raised again from the dead. According to the scriptures, the resurrection of Christ. were brought again into a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection of Christ speaks of the great truth of justification.

Romans 4.25, he was delivered for our offenses and he was raised again for our justification. If I'm justified, That means I stand before God as one who has never sinned and one who has perfectly pleased God by my life. Now, the only way that's so is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

I received a letter from somebody saying, I just can't believe this thing of eternal justification. He gave me his reasons why. And I didn't return the letter because I could see he was just trying to pick a fight with me but um eternal justification if God ever views you as guilty you won't be saved. He said I by no means clear the guilty and God's elect are eternally justified in the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

I was justified when Christ died all sin was put away. I'm justified when I believe. You say how can all three of those things be so? I don't know but they are. I don't have a reason to even suspect that I'm justified unless I believe the gospel. The resurrection of Christ, he was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. And the resurrection of Christ, now listen to this real carefully, the only thing that satisfies my conscience on anything is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

With regard to everything that has anything to do with me, If my fingerprint's on it, I've got a cloud of guilt over my head with regard to everything. I've never done one thing without sin. I've never done one thing without a bad motive. Everything I do, it's me. And the only thing that satisfies my conscience, I never say, well, my conscience is clear about that.

No, it's not. No, it's not. I heard somebody say this weekend where they quoted Charles Spurgeon, where Spurgeon said, If anybody says something bad about you, don't get upset about it because you're worse than they said. That's true, isn't it? That's true.

The only thing that satisfies my conscience and makes me have a clear conscience before God is that Christ was raised from the dead and that answers everything. I love the way Paul said, for this end, Christ both died was raised that he might be Lord, both of the dead and the living. I love thinking about the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He's Lord of the dead. Those who are dead in sins, he's their Lord. They don't know it, but he's still Lord. Somebody says, he's not my Lord. Yes, yes, you don't have any choice in this. He's Lord by who he is. And oh, how he's Lord of the living.

I love what Thomas said, my Lord, And my God, my God, and his resurrection, really, just as it's the only thing that satisfies my conscience, it's the only thing that gives me assurance. This is the only thing that gives me assurance, the fact that God raised him from the dead.

Who is he that condemns? It's Christ that died, yea, rather than risen again. Who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us? This is my assurance. The resurrection of Christ from the dead. His resurrection from the dead is the source of our spiritual life. I've already quoted this once. Let me quote it again. Ephesians 2, 4 and 5 and 6.

But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together. Together with Christ. When Christ was quickened, I was quickened before God. And the reason I'm quickened in my new birth is because Christ was raised from the dead. He has begotten us again into a living hope because of him who lives by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, verse four, to an inheritance. Joint heirs with Christ. Everything that Christ has got coming to him, which is everything, coming to us too. We're joint heirs with Christ. He said, the glory which thou has given me, I've given them. He's the heir of all things, and so is every believer. I mean, people talk about Elon Musk's kids, how much money they got coming to them.

That's nothing. That's nothing compared to a believer's a joint heir with Jesus Christ. An inheritance. You might be having a hard time now, but your inheritance is coming. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, not soiled by sin, an inheritance incorruptible, not subject to corruption, undefiled, that fadeth not away. How many people have just faded away? They showed a great interest in the gospel. They faded away. with this inheritance does not fade away. And if you're a believer, you will not fade away.

Reserved, verse four. Reserved in heaven for you. When you have a reservation, Your name's on it. I've got a reservation in heaven reserved with my name written on it. It's your, this inheritance reserved in heaven for you, but don't stop there. For who? For you who are kept. for you who are kept. Turn with me for a moment to John chapter 17. This is the Lord's great high priestly prayer for his people. Verse 11. And now I'm no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father, Now, this is the Lord praying for us. Keep, through thine own name, according to all your glorious attributes, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. Keep them. While I was in the world, I kept them in my name. Those thou gavest me, I've kept.

And none of them is lost but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee and speak these things. I speak in the world that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I've given them thy word and the world has hated them because they're not of the world even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou should take them out of the world but that thou should keep them from the evil. kept.

Who is it that has this inheritance? Those who are kept. And how are they kept? Look in our text, verse 5, who are kept by the power of God. The same power that created the universe keeps me. The same power that raised Christ from the dead keeps me kept by the power of God. That's why a believer perseveres. They're kept by the power of God through faith. Now every word is of critical importance. I'm kept, preserved, I don't fade away. I continue, I'm kept by the omnipotence of God through faith. Through faith.

When I was first saved, I can't give you a date. I don't know, but I know this. Here's when I was first saved. when I entered into Romans chapter four, verse five, to him that worketh not. Have you ever been convinced that if salvation is by works, there's no hope for you?

If anything is dependent upon what you do, there is no hope. To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly. Now, I know when I was saved, when I believed on him who justifies the ungodly. I believe that what Christ did justifies the ungodly. I'm ungodly. When we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. That means he died for me. I know I can't be saved by my works. Do you know that? To him that worketh not.

But believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now that's when I was first saved. You ever since then haven't changed any. Here's my only hope right now, to him that worketh not. But believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. And on my last breath, Oh, may it be this, to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. Now this is through faith, kept by the power of God through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last time.

Now, I was saved before the foundation of the world. I'm saved right now looking to Christ. And I'm not saved yet. That salvation won't be seen until that last day. When I'm perfectly conformed to the image of Christ, when there is no sin in my experience, no sin, just like Christ, faith will no longer be needed then. I will be experiencing what I believe right now, ready to be revealed at the last time. John said, it does not yet appear what we shall be. Can you even imagine what it would be like to be sinless in thought, in motive? No, you can't. But one day you will, when that salvation is ready to be revealed at that last time. Amen.

Kept

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being born again?

How do we know that salvation is by grace alone?

Why is the resurrection of Christ important for Christians?

What does it mean to be kept by the power of God?

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Kept

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being born again?

How do we know that salvation is by grace alone?

Why is the resurrection of Christ important for Christians?

What does it mean to be kept by the power of God?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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