In this sermon, the speaker begins by sharing a personal testimony of how Jesus transformed their life from being a broken sinner to being made whole. They emphasize the importance of trusting in God and the temporary nature of our time on earth. The speaker then highlights three commandments given by the Word of God: gird up your loins, have patience, and live by faith. They explain the biblical significance of girding up one's loins and how it relates to being prepared and ready to run the race of faith. The sermon concludes with a reminder to not lose confidence and to continue believing in order to receive the promise of salvation.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, EFRA PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Greetings this morning. In the name of Jesus Christ. I had a, sometimes when you preach, you need a shot in the arm. I don't know if some of you have preached before. I was pondering my message this morning and I've been reading through the book of Jeremiah and the Lord brought these words to my heart this morning. It says, let the prophet that hath a dream tell a dream. And let him that hath My word speak My word faithfully. And I take that as an encouragement from God this morning. I consider it a privilege to be able to open up a Bible in the English language. And not my words, just taking His words and breaking it down and giving you the Word of God this morning. I consider that my privilege. Can we kneel for prayer this morning? Yes, our Holy Father. We do bless You and thank You. We give You our thanks this morning. This morning, in the name of Jesus, who is a pardoning God like You? Who is a God like You? There is no one in earth or heaven like unto You. Surely You are above all. None come close to You. You are infinitely wise, infinitely kind, infinitely just, infinitely balanced, infinitely good. And we look upon all that we do see of You and say You are good this morning. You are a good God. All You do is good. You do it perfect. And we thank You for that. I commit this message into Your hand and trust You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen. Alright, if you'd open your Bibles this morning to the book of 1 Peter, chapter 1. If you remember, we began our walk through the book of 1 Peter with an introduction on the life of Peter, his qualifications. We saw in the first verse that Peter is addressing the diaspersia, or those that have been scattered out of Babylon by the persecution that took place there. In verse 2, we saw the sequence of election. And today we'd like to begin in verse 3. Let's stand our feet if we could and we'll read together 3 through 13. It always seems good to stand for the reading of the Word in the morning. Alright, let's read this together, 3 through 13. 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 time, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, ye love, in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Okay, you may be seated. Thank you. This morning I would like to speak a message, the exaltation in salvation amid tribulation. I'd like to just walk down through this little passage here and make comments as we go. Beginning in verse 3, it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus. The word blessed there is not the word that you find in Matthew 5-7 as in blessed are the poor in spirit. That blessed means fortunate or happy. But this blessed means the praise or well speaking. Speaking well. This says, Blessed be God. May God be well spoken of. Speak well of God. God deserves our words of praise for all He has done in our lives. That's the simple message of this word. Bless God. Bless God. Speak well of God for all His benefits to us. Notice it says, The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love the way that the Bible teaches us how to think. The Bible teaches us how to think about God and how to think about God's relationship to Jesus. While our theologies may spin and go where they will, simply this morning, God is known as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us the same thing. If you would, turn to John 20, 17. I still remember the day that I saw this verse in its glory. Maybe not its full glory, but I did see it in a way I hadn't seen it before. Jesus is resurrected from the dead and Mary is clinging to Him. And Jesus said unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God. And I wonder if that's not why Peter begins this direction here by saying, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is not just our God, but He is also the God of Jesus Christ. He's not just the Father of Jesus Christ, but He's also our Father. Jesus shares with us His submission under God and shares with us His Sonship to God. Going on, it says, Who has begotten us again unto a lively hope. He has begotten us again. That is the word for new birth. It literally means begotten or given birth to a second time. God hath given us birth a second time unto a lively hope. Hope literally meaning a living hope. Hope can be dead. Hope can die. But Jesus Christ has given us new birth unto a hope that is alive. It's a hope that lives on. It's a hope that cannot die because it is grounded in a place where there is no death. It is a living hope. It is a hope that moves with us through our lives. It is a life that we live in hope. The lively, living hope. The word hope here means anticipation or expectation. What is the living expectation of a Christian? What is the living expectation of a Christian? It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. According to Peter, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. That is our hope. Our hope is fixed in a day when Jesus Christ shall be revealed by the resurrection. He has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, I have to say, I don't understand all the meaning that the resurrection has in the New Testament. There are a lot of things that the Bible says about the resurrection and I have to say, I don't understand why God puts that importance on the resurrection. A lot of times, I think the death is more important where I would expect that He would say the sacrifice, but no, He puts the resurrection in there. And so I don't understand it all. What is it about the resurrection that gives us such hope? Consider this morning the love of God for His Son Jesus. Let's just consider the love that God has for His Son. The love that was depicted in the resurrection. Let's consider the power of the Holy Ghost that overcame the power of death and the tomb. You know, the love of God that He had for His Son even after the payment was made for sin. And Jesus did say, it's finished. Redemption is finished. But the love of God for Jesus Christ and the power that dwelt in the Holy Ghost that says in Romans 8, raised Him from the dead. Consider death. You know, as Rick once called it, he called it the shadow king. The shadow king. The Bible calls it the covering cast over all people and the veil that is spread over all nations. It's like a black goat hair veil over the whole world. Nobody gets out from underneath it. Death covers all nations. The tomb or the grave is the fear of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends and neighbors. How many warnings are given from our infancy? How much care is taken to avoid death? Don't go near the street. Don't run with a knife in your hand. Be careful of high places. Keep this out of reach of children. The medical industry is one of the largest, most universal in the world. And why is that? Because men and women are in a fight against death. We are in a fearful fight with death. Death and the grave is the enemy of the human race. The resurrection of Jesus Christ represents the power of Jesus over death. In the Revelation 1.18, Jesus tells John, He has the keys of hell and death. Jesus said that. And I have the keys in my hand. I took them. And I've got them. I have the key of death in my hand. Consider the resurrection. John 20.1-8 And the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. And then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loveth, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooped down and looked in, and saw the linen cloth lying, yet went not in. Then came Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen cloth lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. The resurrection of Jesus was not an explosion. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was not an explosion. The power that raised Jesus from the dead was not a straining fight to overcome death. There was no struggle represented in that empty tomb. Just the unneeded grave clothes, the missing body, and then the napkin neatly folded, and laid aside in perfect calmness. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was not an explosion. It was power. Raw power. Who unfolded the napkin? Or who folded that napkin? You ever think about that? I don't know if I've preached this before, but ponder that a moment. Who folded the napkin? I can't imagine. I don't know. I wasn't there, but think about it. The tomb is sealed, and there's only one person in that tomb, and that's Jesus. And he's wound tight with bands of cloth, linen cloth, and his face is covered with a napkin. The only two people I can imagine could take that off would be one, Jesus Christ, which the question comes to my heart, why did he take the linen cloths off too? We know that in his resurrected body, he walked through walls. There were no problems. The doors being shut and locked. To pass through grave clothes is not a problem for a resurrected Lord Jesus. But then why the face cloth wrapped and lying by itself? I don't know why Jesus would pass through grave clothes and not through a linen cloth, but somehow, someone picked that cloth up and meditatingly folded it and laid it aside that we might know. This was not chaos. It was not chaos in the tomb. The other option is, there may be the one who raised him would look upon his face. One thing we can say for sure, the resurrection represented power, with capital P-O-W-E-R. Power. Resurrection power. The foundation of our living hope is the power of the resurrection. Going back to 1 Peter, to an inheritance. We are born again by the resurrection of Jesus Christ to an inheritance. An inheritance incorruptible. An inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us. It is incorruptible. That means it does not rot. It does not decay. How much of this world is spent in preserving the decaying particles of the world? Our equipment decays. Our bodies decay. Our stuff decays on every hand. Rust, moth, decay in everything we see in the world. The preservation market is a great one. But this one, this inheritance does not decay. No rust, no moth, no wear, no repair. This is an inheritance that does not decay. It is undefiled. Not a spot. Not a spot. It is pure. Pure as an elect angel's heart. No sin. No evil. Pure. It is an inheritance. Pure for us. It is unfading. It withers not is what it means. It means it does not wither. You know that song says, where the flowers never fade. But think of that. The flowers never fade. The inheritance that is reserved for us never faded. It never gets sun bleached. There is nothing about time that can touch it. It is impenetrable by all the powers of time to fade it. It only stays shining, bright, pure, and reserved. It says it is reserved in heaven. Christian, you have a heavenly reservation. The Bible says, you have a heavenly reservation. You know, men can fail. They stand you up on an appointment. They'll lose your reservations. They'll overbook their flights. They'll misspell your name in the register. But the attendance in heaven will make no such mistakes. My friend, you have an inheritance reserved in heaven. You who are kept by the power of God. Christian, you have an earthly preservation. You have an earthly preservation by the power of God. When we say the power of God, we speak of the highest of courts above which there is no appeal. When we say the power of God, we sometimes just say the power of God, not realizing we are speaking of that above which there is no other. When you say the power of God, it is of the highest appeal. It is a court above which there is no appeal. It is the greatest of strength. And who will say Him no? It is of the deepest of insight from which no depth of the heart is hidden. No, not even the finest line between soul and spirit, the Bible says. It is of the shrewdest wisdom to whom no puzzle nor question remains a mystery. What else could keep us from the things that face us in this world? What could keep us but the power of God? Kept by the power of God. When the people followed Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on that colt that day, they cried out, Hosanna! Hosanna! Do you know what Hosanna means? Some people think it might mean like Hallelujah or something like that. It doesn't. In their tongue it means, Oh, save! Hosanna! Oh, save! Oh, save! That's the cry of those people as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Save us! Save us! Thou who comest in the name of the Lord. Oh, save! Hosanna! Reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith. Note that faith is the agency of heavenly preservation. Faith is that eye that is set on God for my salvation. Faith is that which lifts the eye toward heaven and sets it upon God as my salvation. That is what Peter says here. You are kept by the power of God through the eye of faith set upon that power of God. By the agency of faith in your life. Unto, which is the end of that keeping and faith. Unto salvation. Through faith. Unto salvation. Salvation. Saved. That just means saved. Not destroyed. Not lost. Not forsaken. But saved. The salvation of the soul from sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil. That is final salvation. That is the salvation that God has reserved for us in heaven. And notice what it says here. It says, ready to be revealed in the last time. That salvation, which is undefiled, which cannot be corrupted, which will not fade, it is laid up with your name on it in heaven and it is ready to be revealed. Heaven is not waiting on preparations, brothers and sisters. Heaven is not waiting on preparations. Your salvation is ready. The supper is ready. The angels have their trumpet in hand. Salvation stands for us. Ready for the moment when He that sitteth upon the throne will give the signal and the veil will be removed and the call will be blown and the cry will go up. Hallelujah! For the marriage supper of the Lamb has come. Wherein ye greatly rejoice. Verse 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice. Here is a statement and an exhortation, wouldn't you say? When Peter says, you greatly rejoice, do you think he is just making a statement about what you are doing? No. But isn't he also exhorting us? Also. Greatly to rejoice. Wherein ye greatly rejoice. This is the exultation of the Christian. Our exultation is in our salvation that is standing at attention ready to be revealed at the last time. Peter says that is our exultation. It is easy to lose sight of this in our lives. Our vision so easily gets wrapped up in the issues of earth, doesn't it? But the call of the scripture this morning is exultation in salvation ready to be revealed. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. The word heaviness means distressed, grieving, sorrowful. Though now ye are in heaviness. How many of you know of times in your lives when though you still rejoiced in the many blessings of God, manifold trials brought distress, grief, sorrow, or heaviness upon you? Paul himself said that they were sorrowful yet always rejoicing. That was his testimony. The Bible recognizes that there are different times in Christian's lives which bring a heaviness upon the heart. There are times of grieving in a Christian's life, yet heaviness need not quench the exultation of salvation. Turn with me to Hebrews 10. Just as a proof text of this whole thought. Hebrews 10, verse 34. Can we stand up and read this together? Let's start in 34. Alright, 34. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience. Ye have done the will of God. Ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe unto the saving of the soul. Alright, you may be seated. Alright, looking in verse 7. That the trial of your faith, the word trial there means to prove. Like men put gold in the oven to prove what it's made out of. Like men do a bending test on a beam to see if it will take the load. When men test the knowledge of a student to see if he's learned. There's a proving whether the faith is of a genuine sort or not. And this says that the trial, the fire of your faith, Jesus' faith was proven, wasn't it? Was not Jesus' faith proven? In His life, He was put to the test to see what for faith He had. Whether His faith was of the kind that was immortal and undaunting and unswerving in the face of all kinds of circumstances. And He proved faithful. I think probably of men, the greatest of trials of faith is that of Abraham. When a man who God loved and loved God and had done so much good for God to put him to the test and say, now take that which I have given you. Now take that which is of your most precious hope. A hope I gave to you. Now take it and put it to death. That was a trial of Abraham's faith. But we know that his faith proved to be faithful. He had a faith that stood the test and came out purer, more to the glory of God. Abraham's faith was proven. This says here in verse 7 that it is much more precious than gold that perisheth. You know, gold will buy you things. But faith will please your God. You cannot buy the pleasure of God with gold. But faith will give you a standing with God in which He says, I am pleased with you. Gold will buy you things. Does that sound comparable? Things compared to pleasing God. Gold wears away with use. Faith grows with wearing. The more vigorous the usage, the more the image is marred in the gold coin. But the more straining the trial of faith, the stronger, clearer, and greater it grows. Notice it says, being proven by fire. Faith is found. Notice that after the fire of faith, faith is found. Your faith might be found there. Amid the ashes of all that clings to it, Jesus Christ will find the faith purer and more radiant in the day of judgment. The Bible says that in that day, all our works will be tried by fire, 1 Corinthians says. But faith is one of those things that will abide. Now abideth faith, hope, and love. Faith is one of those things that will abide. And I can just imagine the picture of judgment day as it describes there in the book of Corinthians, when all a man's works are laid out, and the fire is put to it, and the ashes settle, and the Lord Jesus reaches in and picks up the faith, pure and bright, that your faith might be found in the day of Jesus Christ. Well, what is it found? It says, praise, glory, and honor. If our faith is found pure and strong in the day of Jesus Christ, then there are three things that will follow. Three things. Praise to God who kept us. Praise from God when He says, well done thou good and faithful servant. Honor to Christ who worked our salvation. And honor to us as His children and the guests of the marriage supper. And glory. Glory to God for His wisdom, and His grace and His love. And glory for us to enjoy in His presence into the ages of eternity. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. This is why I say that the hope of the Christian is the appearing of Jesus Christ. Now, this is not talking specifically here about a mystical revelation of Jesus in His person in your spiritual life. This specifically is speaking of the day when the Scripture says that the heavens will roll back like a scroll and the Lord Jesus shall be made manifest in all His glory with His holy angels. That is the day of Jesus appearing. As Paul says, not for me only, but also all who love His appearing. That is the Christian's hope. The appearing of the Lord Jesus and the salvation that He brings with Him when He comes. This is the hope of the believer. Whom having not seen. You know, the Bible says, why do we hope for that which we do not see? Can you hope for something that you have? The very fact that Jesus could be here. He could have stayed on earth. He could have set up a kingdom immediately. But He didn't. But He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. The Holy Ghost is present with us all by faith. Nothing by sight. All by faith. Whom you do not see. Whom ye love. Three things it says here. Whom you do not see. Whom ye love. And yet believing. The love of Jesus in the trials of life plays the largest part of the purification of faith. I believe the love of Jesus in our lives plays the largest part in purifying our faith. Indeed, the trials have a tendency to turn us back to that former love and the simple truth of His salvation. When everything is going sweet, you might have all kinds of ambitions in the world. But when a trial comes into your life, how many times do you find your heart turning back again to that simple love of the Lord Jesus and an exaltation, the salvation of my soul. And yet believing, ye rejoice. Rejoicing is a result of love toward Jesus and a faith in His salvation. See how that flows here. It says, Whom having not seen, ye love. In whom though now you see Him not, yet in the midst of this fire that's purifying your faith, yet believing, that means trusting, that means turning the eye of faith upon Him alone and looking with hope unto your salvation, ye rejoice. Ye rejoice. Exaltation in tribulation is from the anticipation of our salvation at the revelation of our affection who is Jesus Christ. And then it says, Receiving the end of your faith, in verse 9 here, Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, the simple truth is this, each of us has a soul to save. I think that's the bottom line. The message of the ages, simply put, is the salvation of your souls. We have a lot of different issues we face in life, don't we? A lot of things that confuse us, things that bewilder us, things that we strive for to lay hold of and don't understand, things that we have ambitions for. But in the end, the hope of the Christian is salvation. The salvation of our souls. The end of my faith is the salvation of my soul. There is within this body walking a soul. Every one of you has a soul. Or as one man said, we should teach our children that every child has a body. We are the soul. The body is only a house to dwell in. It's a tent that will be laid aside temporarily, very soon. We have souls. We are the soul that has the body. And that soul is in a plight with God. That soul has fallen from favor with the Most High. We are a part of a race of fallen poor men who are under the wrath of God. And the whole issue of that soul that walks in your body is its salvation. And its hope and exaltation is in that salvation. And the knowing that my soul is saved. The issue of mankind is the salvation of their souls. If you're in the fire this morning, if you're in the fire this morning, you feel the fire of testing, faith is in the heat, then exalt in this. Exalt in that your soul is safe in the faith of Jesus Christ. That is the exaltation in salvation mid-tribulation. That my soul is saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Alright, let's read verse 10 through 12 here. Of which salvation, this one we're talking about, the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Which things the angels long to look into. The salvation that we are living has two observers, this says. Those two observers would be prophets of old and angels. The way I understand what Peter is saying here is that this salvation was revealed to men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Zephaniah, I mean Zachariah. Those men, somehow in their morning times when the Bible says, I woke my prophets early to send them unto you. God would wake him up in the morning and he would be pondering this salvation that the Spirit of God within him was signifying, revealing to him mysterious things that Christ that was to come is going to suffer. And he would be writing or he would be recording it by memory, however they did that, or if they had a scribe be speaking and saying, write this down. This is what it's going to be like. And these words would flow out. And the mind of the prophet, this says, was searching and inquisitive. How is this going to work? How is this going to come out? You mean the Messiah is going to suffer? And it was revealed to them. They understood in those times that it wasn't for themselves that they were learning those things. Because it was all shrouded in mystery then. But it was for us. They realized, in other words, that somewhere in the future, Christians were going to come and need the Gospel in the prophets. And they wrote knowing, I am ministering to future generations concerning the Messiah. They testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. And men put their hope in those writings. Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Let me just say a little something here about this insertion. It's just kind of like an insertion with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. You know, the Gospel came to us by men, didn't it? Someone preached to us the Gospel. Those men wrote it. Some men translated it. Some preacher took it and spoke it into our lives. But it was done with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. And to Him belongs the honor and the glory. Angels, in their duties, long to look into it. This is a mysterious verse. We don't know a lot about what goes on in angel realms. They're just like little glimpses. But we know that they're sent forth to work for them that are about to inherit salvation. Angels are around us, working, ministering in our lives. They are sent forth to do that. And it seems to be saying here that all the while, there's a curiosity. Now, maybe I'm reading into it. This is just how I perceive it. There's a curiosity. Kind of a looking over the shoulder as one reads the Bible thinking, how does this all work out? How does a man like this become the heir of salvation like I know is waiting for Him in heaven? And it's a bewilderment to them. There is one thing that an angel cannot experience and that is the joy of salvation. That pure mind of seraphs on high who are the elect and have never given to the devil. And have never known what it means to have a heart washed by forgiveness of sin and repentance. Those angels know nothing about that. And when they see an altar call, I'm sure, maybe I'm imagining, but I think there's some that are looking, oh, that must be so neat. Look at them cry. They're weeping like a baby up here. Look at that hard man. Look what God is doing in that man's life. I can hardly believe it. I wish I could experience that. I wish I understood what was going on in the heart of those men. Angels long to look into those things. When they looked at the Lord Jesus on the cross, it was a longing. What is going on? I don't understand this. You know, I'm sure they understand it some because they proclaimed it to the shepherds and all that. But I mean, as far as understanding it, they love to look into it. It's men that get bored with it. But angels long to look into it. The suffering of Jesus for the poor human race, angels long to look into it. Prophets ponder it deeply. The glories that should follow, the glories of resurrection, the glories of sin forgiven, the glories of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, the glory of the church, the glory of the ascension, the glory of the coming resurrection, the glory of the giving of salvation to every Christian. Those glories that are to follow, those angels long to look into that. The prophets pondered it deeply. They asked, can I know a little bit more about that? And the angel said to Daniel, Daniel, go your way. It's shut up. You can't see it. But Daniel said, excuse me, tell me, how long will it apply? You know, I'd like to know a little bit more. Can I look into that just a little deeper? Who would have thought that such things would be done for the poor, fallen human race? Who would have ever thought it? All through the Old Testament even, who ever thought that such things would be done for the poor human race? I don't know who wrote the song that says, tis mystery all, let earth adore. No, let heaven adore. Let angels my... No. Tis mystery all. Someone help me. How does that go? Tis mystery all. Oh, the immortal dies. That's how it goes. Tis mystery all. The immortal dies. Who can explore his strange design? Who can explore the design that God designed in salvation? In vain, the firstborn seraph, that's the highest, tries to plumb the depth of love divine. And then it says, tis mystery all. Let heaven adore. Let angels minds inquire no more. You can't reach the bottom of it. You may be the firstborn seraph, you'll never see the bottom of it. It is unexplorable. Alright, in conclusion, 1 Peter 1.13 Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Three applications in conclusion. And they are three commandments given by the Word of God here. Number one. Gird up your loins. Gird up the loins of your mind. You know, girding up the loins is a picture in the Bible. It's what Elijah did when he was on Mount Carmel. Remember he was praying and praying and his servant said, I see a cloud the size of a man's hand rising out of the sea. And he got up and he said, Hurry, run and tell Ahab, get to Jezreel before the rain stops you. And it says he gird up his loins, which means he was wearing a long robe and he reached behind and grabbed the back part of his robe and he pulled it up and he tucked it in his belt and made him into shorts so his legs could run. And it says he gird up his loins and he ran for Jezreel and he outran Ahab. Passed him up in his chariot. Well, the Bible says, You, Christian, now, all these things being said, you, gird up the loins of your mind with a determination. Now, get ready to run. Be prepared to work, to fight. Gird up the loins of your mind and tuck it in and get ready. You know, sometimes our minds can be unprepared for life. In its ease, maybe, in despondency, in discouragement, in unbelief. The Scripture says, Put it away and gird up your loins and get ready. And then it says, Be sober. Be sober. That's a good word for us, especially you young men. You young men that are sitting here in CBI, hear the Word of God this morning. Be sober. Life is not a game. Life is no game. Be sober. And sober doesn't mean somber. Sober means serious. It means clear thinking. It means think about things clearly. View things clearly. Don't play games in your mind. It means put away foolishness. Put away lightheartedness. Put away the frivolities of life. And think seriously and soberly about life. Gird up your loins and be sober, Peter says. We're not just talking about a few good recommendations here from the Apostle Peter. This is the Word of God in conclusion of the matter. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. And hope to the end. To the end of what? To the end of what? To the end of the race? To the end of the life? Hope all the way. Don't let the hope be lost. Don't let the hope die. Keep it a living hope in your breast. Keep a sober mind that keeps in mind, I have a reservation in heaven. It is a salvation ready to be revealed when Jesus comes. Jesus is coming. He's going to be revealed soon. Be sober and hope to the end. Put your hope in what does it say? There's grace going to come to you. There's grace coming. When Jesus Christ is revealed out of heaven, it's going to flow with graces. Graces meaning gifts. There's going to be eternal life given. The tears will be wiped away. The heartache and the pain is gone. The infirmities of the body are gone. A new body is going to be given. All the graces that are going to flow when the Lord Jesus is revealed. And the Scripture tells you, put your hope there today. Gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. And put your hope all the way to the end in that day. The day that Jesus brings salvation. Exaltation. In salvation. Mid-tribulation. Thank God for this little message this morning. It's a balm to my soul. I hope it's been an inspiration to you too. Thank you Brother David for the clear exegesis there of 1 Peter 1. I especially appreciated the emphasis on the resurrection. I've often wondered that too. I thought about the atonement, the blood, the death, as to why that isn't used more than many times the resurrection is. But maybe we'll have to wait to understand all that until some future day. But the resurrection is where the power of God is manifested to the believer to overcome sin in this life. Any leader could have died. Any leader could have shed his blood. Many a godly man has. But one has resurrected and overcome the power of death and lives forevermore today sitting at the right hand of God. All the leaders have their time of death and succumbed to all that. And there they lay. Revered at their gravesites. Memorials built. Pilgrimages made to where they lay. But not our Lord. I've never found it necessary to go see the empty tomb because Jesus Christ isn't there. He rose from the dead. And I believe it on the authority of the Word of God and the reality of my life. I don't have to go see the empty tomb to believe it. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Alright. Well, we'll give you the opportunity if you have a word, comment, or confession or anything you'd like to open your life this morning and share a bit with us. Brothers or sisters, raise your hand. We'll get a microphone to you and let you add your comments here at the end. Over here. Sister Nancy. I want to bless the Lord for this wonderful service. Thank you, Brother David, for making the Lord Jesus so exceedingly precious. And our hope so sure. And the resurrection so real. Thank you for expounding the Word of God that even little children can understand. And for not making it complicated. I want to confess that I love the Lord Jesus. I don't understand why He reached down and saved this wretched, wicked, Hutterite girl. Why He showed me what is truth. Why He even allowed me to entertain the question what is truth. Because I believe it is at that moment that He started revealing the Lord Jesus to me. And also the opening, I was just very challenged. Where is my faith? Is my faith secure in the Lord Jesus? And I want to thank you for the challenge. And I do see my need of faith in the Lord Jesus. Thank you. You do remind me of your searching heart when I first met you. Back there, Daniel. Yes, I just want to rejoice this morning too for what the Lord Jesus has done to me. I'm reminded of the song that I know. He found a beggar and I found a king. I was a wretched, broken sinner and Jesus has made me whole. And I just want to testify with the messages this morning that sometimes as you go through life and depending what you hear or what happens, you tend to kind of fear or maybe it tends to pull down your mood and you don't really realize what's happening. Until all of a sudden when it dawns on you what you're feeling, what your emotions are, then all you have to do is just look at the simple truth of salvation and knowing that I won't be here in a hundred years from now. And if all I have to do is trust God, this time is just a short stay here. If I just endure, if I just kind of survive, the reward is awaiting us. I have not found anything in life that can lift the gloom of discouragement like that simple thought that Jesus rose from the dead and by faith in Him we will be promised eternal life. Praise God. Why did He choose me out of all these people that I could hear and understand the grace of God? Hallelujah. And Rachel? Yes, I want to thank the Lord and praise Him for this message today. It just opened my eyes that there's a place reserved in Heaven for me. It was so clear and so unreal that my heart just jumped for joy that someday we can be where the place is reserved for us. And I just want to ask the Lord that He should increase my faith. Coming back to the sermon last week that you can only trust if you have faith. And I ask the Lord that He would instill that faith in my heart and that I can live for Him the rest of my life. Thank you again for this beautiful sermon. Praise God. And the inheritance of faith is not away. Yes? Well, I was deeply encouraged and my heart is just thrilled when I was considering what Brother David said there about the power that was in the resurrection. You know, when Jesus was on the cross there were earthquakes. The sky was dark and everything. And it seemed like there was a lot of power that was manifested there. But just considering the sheer power that was in the resurrection, it really just opened the eyes of my heart to see the importance of the resurrection for us today. That that same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is now able to be imparted into us through the Holy Ghost. So how ought we to live today because of that? And so I was just deeply encouraged and I'm very excited about serving our risen Lord Jesus today. May He get all the glory. Thank you, Nathan. Amen. Okay? Yes, I just wanted to say that when my father passed away, we were believing that he was going to be healed. We believed that the Lord Jesus wanted to heal him. And when he died and was not healed, I didn't know where that faith... I was asking the Lord, Lord, where does that faith go? You know, I was believing in You and where did that faith go? And I can testify today that my faith has found a resting place and it's in Jesus Christ and His blood and in His creed. I just praise Him for that. Amen. Thank you for that. Alright, I think we'll have a song at this time and then I'll come up and make some announcements.