Established In Christ

Yes, good morning everyone. Blessings to all of you. Good to see you all. It's a real privilege, I think, from the Lord to be able to meet in this way. It really is. Can you turn with me to 1 Peter?

I was really struck with our Sunday school lesson about this thing of being doers of the Word and not hearers only. And this study in 1 Peter is really, I guess, sort of hit me between the eyes because all he talks about is doing.

You need to do something. You need to do something in order for your Christian life to succeed. And Peter is just very I mean, yeah, James and 1 Peter follow each other. James are both apostles, and they seem to really get a hold of this thing of doing what Jesus talked about instead of just hearing it. They all heard it, but they really drive that home. Both of these apostles do. So just hope that I myself can learn that truth is to be a doer and not just simply a hearer. Obviously, we have to hear, but what do you do with it later on?

I want to look at chapter 1. The last message I sort of introduced the book of Peter and talked about a few things. I'd like to get into chapter 1 here now. The title of the message is Established in Christ. Established in Christ. That word established there has the idea to put securely in place or cause to have a firm and lasting position. In the Greek, it has the idea of to set fast, to turn resolutely in a certain direction, or to confirm.

What is the reason that we need to be established in Christ? What is the reason?

The apostle Peter here, his book refers to persecution.

And in 2 Timothy 3:12, and this sort of I'd like to make this sort of the theme verse somewhat of this study. I'll read verses 10 through 12 in 2 Timothy 3. But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. What persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

And so the apostle Paul is I'm sorry, Peter is in his book then is trying to get us established in the Christian life because you will suffer persecution. Don't forget that. I just want us all to get that understanding that we will suffer persecution. And I think in my other message I referred, I'm not quite sure how to relate that to our society here in America, where we don't necessarily experience a lot of physical persecution.

But I think we definitely experience a lot of spiritual persecution. And I think that's almost just as serious as the physical. And so that's how I sort of think about it whenever I think of our society, that we are sort of protected from persecution physically. And so keep that in mind. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. That is why we need to be established in Christ. That is the reason.

I was thinking of when I was thinking of this thing of established, being established, I thought of Martin's Garage.

And it was started in 1946. I wasn't sure, so I checked with Dallas, and he said, yes, it was 1946. So that business has been established for 75 years. They're working on their 76th year.

Okay. What made it so established in our community?

Just anyhow, just you know, just got established. Is that all it was?

No, to have something that's really established requires a lot of things. And I tried to think of some things as far as why Martin's Garage is so established in our community. The first thing I thought about, a strong work ethic.

A very strong work ethic that Martin's Garage has. The second thing is a fair labor rate. They don't overcharge. They don't overcharge. They are upfront with their and honest with their customers. Whenever they diagnose a problem, they don't beat around the bush as to what the problem is. They just tell it like it is. They're honest with their customers, telling them, this thing's going to cost you probably maybe more than the automobile's worth, instead of saying, oh, I think we can get this thing taken care of for a certain amount of dollars. So they're upfront and honest.

The fourth thing I thought about was if a customer had to bring a vehicle back because after they repaired it, another problem showed up. It was taken care of fairly. They are fair. They took personal interest in their customers. They were not just a number. And I failed to say there at the beginning that we have three generations that are in this business.

The first generation, of course, is gone, but the second and third generations are still there.

Yeah, they took personal interest in their customers. They were not just a number. They tried to be Christ-like when facing an unhappy customer. And Dallas knows, and everyone knows that has a business that you're going to at times have a very unhappy customer. You're going to have to know you have to work with that person. You're going to have to be Christ-like with that person to try to satisfy him and please him. They used fair business practices. They treated all customers fairly regardless of who they were. It made no difference who this person were. Even if they knew that the person probably would not even be able to pay the bill, they were fair with that person.

Also, they did not badmouth other garages that did not run their business with the same honesty and work ethic. And we know that that's the case out there as well. A lot of service stations or garages just don't have the greatest reputation. But they did not badmouth those other ones regardless. So to establish yourself in anything, your community, your congregation, we need to follow certain guidelines. There has to be some things followed in order for you to become established. Excuse me, in anything.

So Peter is telling us, if we expect to endure persecution, we must be established in our walk with Christ. And I'd like to put out a warning here. To be established in Christ, we must use only the directives that come from Christ.

We dare not try to establish ourselves in Christ using our directives. We dare not do that.

Just a couple of verses about being established. 1 Thessalonians 3:2.

Verse 1 says, "Therefore, when we could no longer endure, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God and our fellow labor in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith."

Isaiah says some things about being established. Isaiah 9:6-7. And this very familiar scripture here. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice.

From that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this."

Romans 1:11-12. I really like these verses.

"For I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gifts so that you may be established. That is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me."

Hebrews 8:6. "But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry inasmuch as he is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." Of course, speaking of Christ. And Hebrews 13:9.

"Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them." And then 2 Peter

1:12.

"For this reason, I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth."

Okay.

Well, how do we become established, or what do we need to do to be established in Christ? And I'd like to draw out some things here from the first chapter of 1 Peter. I think I'm going to read the chapter again.

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." Those, I don't know if they're towns or areas, they are all in present-day Turkey. That is where these places are found.

If you look on a map, I don't know if those names are there anymore, but that's where they were in present-day Turkey. "Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. Let the genuineness of your faith be much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, you love, though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Of this salvation, the prophets have inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, who was in them, was indicated when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them, it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust as in your ignorance, but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, be holy, for I am holy.

And if you call on the Father who, without partiality, judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with the corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the word of God, which lives and abides forever, because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now, this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you."

All right.

How do we become established in Christ?

I think I have about 15 things listed. Well, actually 17. The first one I have is you must believe that it's only because of God's great mercy that we are able to be established in Christ.

To me, that is a great truth to understand and to really love God because of it. That in his mercy, he makes it possible for us to find ourselves established in Christ. He has made a way for us to do that. And it's because of his mercy that that is able to take place in verse three there.

Also in verse three, we must be begotten or born again in order to have a new life to be established in Christ.

You cannot be in Christ outside of having his life within you. And we get that life within us from Christ through being born again. Being begotten by God himself. If you are begotten by, if you have a child, that child is begotten by you, and that child favors you, looks like you, gets its traits from from you.

And that's the way it is with this thing of being begotten again, because that's the only way that you're going to receive the life of Christ is if you are begotten by him.

Number three, we must believe in the resurrection. We must believe in the resurrection. These are all from verse three. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then there is nothing to be established in. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then he's dead, right?

There's nothing to get a hold of. There's nothing to draw from. There's no life. So if you really want to truly be established in Christ, you're going to have to believe that he rose from the dead.

I find it hard to think that there's people that don't believe that.

You must believe in the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Okay. Remember, he was dead. Totally dead.

No life. No life at all.

But God miraculously and mercifully raised him from the dead to give us life. Do you love God because of that? I do.

Number four, you must believe that Christ will share his inheritance with us. In that word, it says there that it's reserved in heaven for you. This inheritance is reserved for you. We need to believe that. That word reserved there means to guard from loss or injury by keeping the eye upon.

Also, to prevent escaping, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus.

So do you think that inheritance is there?

God has his full line of apparatus guarding and watching over this inheritance. So be assured that you will receive your inheritance as you become established in Christ. It's an inheritance that is incorruptible. It's totally incorruptible. It's imperishable. It'll never fade away or perish.

Only because God has his eye on it. He is watching it very, very closely.

Number five, we must believe that we are not in this alone. We must believe that. That word in chapter in verse five here, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last day. That word kept there is sort of similar to reserved.

But kept there means to be a watcher in advance, to mount guard as a sentinel. And we know the military or like prisons and whatnot, they have these sentinels outside. They have their post there along the fence. They're sentinels to guard the place so no one escapes. So to mount guard as a sentinel, to hem in, protect, post spies at the gate.

So that is talking about this inheritance, that we are kept. You must believe that you are not in this alone. There is someone watching out for your life, for your inheritance.

And it says you are kept by the power of God. And we all know, we've heard it many times that this word power there is the dunamis, which is the English word for dynamite, which is, we know, extremely powerful. Very powerful. Miraculous power.

Miraculous power.

And you need to believe that. In order to establish yourself in Christ, that has to be something that you have to believe. You have to move on that. Realize that God's power is able to keep you.

The sixth thing, you need to be a rejoicing people even in the midst of trials. Verse six. You need to be a rejoicing people. And I don't know.

It's awfully hard for me anyway to rejoice in the midst of trials. It just, you know, my tendency is just to get down and out. Why does it have to happen to me? What, you know, and so on and on and on we go.

But we need to rejoice in this.

Well, why? Why do we need to rejoice? The seventh thing is we need to be genuine or real in our manifestations of Christ.

If you want something that's genuine, say you have a piece of gold. How do you know it's genuine? It might look the color of gold, and it might look just real nice. I mean, people have gold rings and that type of thing. I don't know if they're pure gold or not.

But the only way that you really know if something is genuine is if you have found out whether it went through the fire or not. Pure gold is, that's the only way that gold becomes pure is through fire.

Hot fire, extreme fire. And so that is, that's the whole idea of trials and persecutions is to prove your genuineness.

Yes, that genuineness comes from intense testing. But you will come forth as the real thing. You will. If you can endure the persecution and the trials that come upon you, you will become a real person for Christ. A real person. I'll be able to look at you and say, he is for real or she is for real.

They are genuine. Really genuine.

I have to think of years ago, I worked at Chambersburg Implement Company, and they sold General Electric appliances. And what's their initials? GE. And they always said GE begins with genuine. So if you bought a GE appliance, well, that was the real genuine appliance.

I'll let you decide whether that's true or not. But that was their saying. Yes, genuine. Genuine.

Okay. Number eight. We need to love without seeing the source of love. Yet we believe that it comes from Christ. In verse eight there, whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see him, yet believing you rejoiced with joy inexpressible and full of glory.

Yes.

We need to love without seeing that source. We just believe that the source of our love comes from Christ.

All right, the ninth thing. You need to allow your life to be salvaged and made into a brand new life. And it's called a great salvation. It's called a great salvation. And I trust and hope that no one here, myself included, ever takes this salvation for granted.

I hope you never do because it is a great salvation. The prophets tried to find it. They told us about it, but they themselves did not experience it. And not only that, who else would love to be a participant in it, in this great salvation?

The angels.

I don't know if it's a song. I couldn't come up with it or a verse. I don't think it's an actual verse in the Bible, but I think it's a song that somehow when the angels see someone experience salvation, it says they fold their wings and look on in wonder and yet are not able to participate in it. So is this salvation great to you? Is it one of the greatest things that you ever experience in your life? Do you believe that?

If you want to be established in Christ, you are going to have to allow this great salvation to make you into a brand new person. Take the wreck of your life and Christ will transform that thing into something totally brand new and that is usable. When we think of a salvage yard, usually it's vehicles and stuff that's in there that is totally useless until someone gets a hold of that thing and brings it out of the trash and transforms it, salvages it, makes something good out of it.

Because a lot of people do that. They know how to do it.

But our God is a master at salvaging our lives.

I hope we never forget that. And to think about it, that there are those that long to be a part of that. They just look on in amazement, especially the angels. Look on in amazement at this marvelous thing that took place.

That was verses 9 through 12. The 10th thing is in verse 13. Need to bring the wondering of our minds back to one place and draw it together with the mind of Christ. Now it says here to gird up the loins of your mind. What's that word gird mean there? Well, it means to encircle or fasten with a belt or cord. Now I have a belt on here this morning.

It encircles my waist and I pull it as tight as it's comfortable. Why?

So I don't fall apart. So my trousers stay where they're supposed to be. So that my shirt tail is not out flapping all around and looking kind of weird and crazy.

So that's what we need to do with our mind. But what's the loins of your mind? It says, gird up the loins of your mind. Where is the loins?

Well, the loin is the part of the body on each side of the spinal column between the hip and the lower ribs.

So what is between the hips and below the lower ribs?

The reproductive organs. That's what's there. The reproductive organs of your body are there are the loins of your body.

So to me, Peter is saying when your mind or the reproductive part of your mind begins to to uh produce some weird or crazy idea or refuses to believe the message of the gospel or wants to dwell on something sinful, get a belt.

Get a hold of a belt, so to speak, and bind it back together with the rest of your mind to get it under control.

That's what he's saying here.

Belt, all these far-flung ideas and thoughts and whatnot that the mind tends to reproduce and bind them. Bind them up. Keep them from flying hither and yon and throwing out all these crazy ideas.

If you want to be established in Christ, you really are going to have to keep your mind in check. You're going to have to keep it in control, and that's how you do it.

It talks about being sober, and it talks about a rest. I mean, can you be restful and sober whenever things are hipsy hay and flying all over the place? No, you need to gird up the loins of your mind.

If you want to establish yourself in Christ, your mind must be brought under control. And we know that the mind is where a lot of things go wrong. Our minds is what causes a lot of things to go wrong.

The question is being asked a lot about this latest shooting, school shooting. Where? What happened? Where was this young man's mind? What happened? What caused him to do what he did?

Our mind.

You know, sometimes we say that, oh, I would never do such a thing. And I'm not talking about the school shooting, but I wouldn't do that act the way that person's acting. Don't be sure.

The only way that you're going to be sure is to gird it up into Christ.

Number 11, we need to be obedient. And that means to be attentive, hearkening, compliance, or submission. I think we pretty well know what obedience is.

But you're going to have to be obedient, especially to Christ, to be established in Him. Number 12, you need to keep yourself out of the world's mold in verse 14.

Yeah, as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lust as in your ignorance.

That word conform, as we know, means to fashion alike.

To fashion alike, to do exactly what the world is doing. You cannot mix the world with Christ. So make sure that you are not bringing the world into your own experience because Christ will not allow it to be established in Him. And that's a message all itself.

Number 13, you must be holy. And that has the idea of sacred, blameless, consecrated, complete, or oneness. And I'm not sure who said it, but that word holy also has the idea of whole, W-H-O-L-E. And if you have a whole piece of something, you have it all, don't you?

If you give your children a piece of candy, they want the whole thing, don't they? Don't give me a half a piece. I want the whole piece. I want it all there. Yeah. Nothing missing. Nothing missing.

And that's the way our God is. He says, "Be holy, for I am holy." He is complete. Nothing missing. And He expects us to live that way as well. If you want to be a part of the establishment of Christ, you're going to have to be complete and holy and whole.

Number 14, we need to, just as the Father is not partial, neither can we be. When you are partial, you are leaning toward something or you're showing favoritism. Favoritism. In verse 17, there it talks about, "And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here, excuse me, in fear." So yeah, and I'll have to say that again for myself, that is a tough one, to not be partial.

To not be partial in my thinking of someone or something like that. I tend to put someone in a category and I'm partial toward them.

And or I favor someone over another. No, you will not be established in Christ if you live that way. So don't be partial. 15, our redemption comes from the precious blood of Christ who did not have even a slight blemish or spot.

Precious. It says the precious blood. Yes, Christ was totally, completely perfect. That word precious there means valuable or costly, extremely costly. And we are reminded of that every time we share in communion, when we think of the Jews representing that precious blood that Christ shed in order for us to be salvaged, we'll come back to go back to that.

So it's precious blood. It's not just blood. Keep that in mind. Always remember that it's a precious blood, extremely precious.

16, we must live a pure life in both action and word. That's in verse 21 and 23.

Purification comes through obedience to the truth, through sincere love of the brethren, being born again, and through allowing the word of God to live and abide in you.

You know, I can understand most of them there, but you become pure through sincere love of the brethren. I'm not sure quite honestly how to just apply that here, but that brings purity to your life whenever you truly love your brothers and sisters.

It brings purity into your experience. So remember that. We must live a pure life. One thing that might fit in here is, you know, we know that Christ loves all people, and especially the brethren and sisters. And so if we do not have a love for the brothers and sisters like Christ loved, it, you know, it won't fit. It just cannot come in into into place there because Christ truly loved all people.

And the thinking of allowing the word of God to live and abide in you, I think, goes back to our Sunday school lesson again, being a doer of the word.

And 17, we need to see the urgency of becoming established in Christ. Why?

Because we will soon depart this life. And how we have lived this life now will be how we will meet God. And I guess that becomes more and more real to me every day that I am alive. Some of us will meet our Lord sooner than others.

And it doesn't matter how old you are, although an older person, we think, will possibly meet God a little sooner than a young person, but we know that's not true either. But the fact is, you will meet God someday.

Are you established in Christ? Are you ready to meet God face to face? Verse 24 and 25, because all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Well, it's a lifelong process. Just as Martin's garage did not become established on their first day of business, so we, the first day after we become born again, do we become totally established in Christ? But as we go through each each day and each year of our life, we become more and more established in our belief of who Christ is. And that's what, and again, Peter is telling us all these things because he does not want us to to to fall away whenever we are faced with those hard times, those persecutions, those trials that we are sure to come. He says it. Paul says it. They will come.

So it's a lifelong process. And the question is, are we willing to do what it takes to become established in Christ? Now, I'd just like to read Psalm 103. It seems as though Psalm 103 just fits First Peter so so well.

Psalm 103, and I'll read this in closing.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your iniquities? Who heals all your diseases? Who redeems your life from destruction? Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies? Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles? The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities His children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him, for He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. As for man, His days are like grass. As the flower of the field, so He flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them. The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.

Bless the Lord, all you His host, you ministers of His who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Would there be any comments?