November 20, 2017
Begotten us again
unto a lively hope
1Peter 1
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,
4 To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you,
5 Who are kept by
the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time.
(The text for the
3rd message on 1Peter, going through this epistle for our morning service)
QQQ: Let me leave
you with a question: before a man has been begotten again unto a lively hope,
what state was he in? What saith the Scriptures?
As an aside...
Instead of this
sovereign and gracious act of begetting us unto a lively hope, what if, as is
so popularly preferred, God sincerely makes the offer of the same to all
(obviously offered to those "having no hope, and without God in the world").
The offer implies the need for the offerees to make choices of acceptance or
rejection.
Many foolishly
prefer a God who makes the sincere offer of salvation to ALL, i.e. the largest
possible number, and think that's most loving. What good will that offer accomplish?
Maybe, so that the free will and sovereign choices of autonomous man are not
infringed!
I rejoice in the
Lord's glorious goodness, while I was in my native state of sin and death, He
has freely and sovereignly BEGOTTEN me unto a lively hope based on, and unto
the blessings of the obedience and blood of Jesus Christ on my behalf (v2).
Picture above: an earthworm is an earthworm; it exercises free choices in its earthy realm. Is the worm capable of choosing to live outside the realm of its earthly environment?
======
Robert Cook Sr.
I am a worm and no
man! Our Lord became a worm that we might become Kings! Yet still a worm in my
eyes, but in the Father's eyes a righteous heir with Christ! 🙂
Sing
When Thou, my
righteous Judge, shall come
To take Thy ransomed
people home,
Shall I among them
stand?
Shall such a
worthless worm as I,
Who sometimes am
afraid to die,
Be found at Thy
right hand?
Linda Lancaster
A worm!!! We are the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are heirs and co-heirs with the
Father. We are seated in heavenly places. We are overcomers. We are victorious.
And you say we are worms. No thank you
Sing
The man after God's
own heart...
Psalm 22:6 KJT — But
I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Linda Lancaster
Is that not a
messianic psalm? Referring to Jesus. I am quoting from the New Testament where Paul tells us we are in Christ by the death on the cross. We are new creations,
all things have passed, and behold, all things are new
Sing
That's what Mr
Robert Cook commented. You just affirmed it.
Robert
Sing, "When Thou My Righteous Judge Shall Come" One of my fav's 🙂
Ann Atwood
Linda Lancaster, In
the scriptures, when a worm is used as a metaphor, it is not referring to our
worth, but rather to our undeserving nature. Grace is a gift beyond what the
recipient deserves, and the gift we received from the Father is so far beyond
our merit that the worm is the simile for us. I think if the writers had had
microscopes, we might be referred to as bacteria or viruses.
