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[3025.30 --> 3032.18] beforehand you have to picture the end and the journey to where you're going to go
[3032.18 --> 3042.50] in order to live that well in the moment there's a sports psychologist who i read that says the more
[3042.50 --> 3052.50] an athlete can image the entire package the better it's going to be there's another article uh on this that
[3052.50 --> 3060.50] says and i'm going to quote this this is more than ever a multi-sensory endeavor which is why the term
[3060.50 --> 3066.58] imagery is now preferred to visualization visualization doesn't take in all the senses
[3067.78 --> 3072.18] you have to smell it you have to hear it you have to feel it everything
[3074.26 --> 3086.42] to make it to the end well you have to be captivated by the image of it throughout the entire exercise
[3086.42 --> 3088.02] the journey
[3090.98 --> 3098.90] i want to suggest to you some of you have already made this connection that the kind of life that peter
[3098.90 --> 3109.86] calls us to as disciples only makes sense when it is based on and lived in light of an unshakable
[3109.86 --> 3114.10] all-satisfying hope beyond this life
[3117.70 --> 3125.06] and that the way we endure trial the way we engage suffering the way we remain faithful the way we grow
[3125.06 --> 3130.82] in obedience is to visualize or to image
[3130.82 --> 3139.94] what's ahead in that life to come here's my idea my theme for this morning that we're going to reflect
[3139.94 --> 3148.66] on the kind of living that changes history but that the kind of living that that changes the world
[3148.66 --> 3157.46] can only happen when you think beyond history can only happen when you imagine another world when you
[3157.46 --> 3162.26] have a vision of the future of from god that is unstoppable
[3164.02 --> 3171.22] that's what peter is trying to tell us and that's what the whole new testament really is is trying to
[3171.22 --> 3178.82] show us and if you look at christian history that's what christian history proves to us
[3180.18 --> 3185.14] and so really as as a recap as we're nearing the end of this series that we're going to just for a
[3185.14 --> 3191.94] moment look back at where we've gone look back at the letter right in in chapter 1 verse 6 and 7
[3191.94 --> 3198.02] peter calls us to greatly rejoice in suffering grief and trials
[3198.74 --> 3206.98] right in his language even as you face a refining fire your life may result in praise and glory and honor
[3206.98 --> 3211.78] right he says you can rejoice now because of the glory promised then
[3211.78 --> 3222.74] that's the the new birth into a living hope of verse 3 in chapter 1. in chapter 2 11 and 12 we read
[3222.74 --> 3228.66] that we go to war against our sinful desires and we live such good lives among the pagans that even
[3228.66 --> 3235.38] though they accuse us of doing wrong and we do all that so that we might glorify god on the day he visits
[3235.38 --> 3244.26] right that the glory of god revealed in jesus and in the coming of the celestial city of his return heaven
[3244.26 --> 3253.22] and earth together because of jesus right that's the the hope for living or the living hope for living in
[3253.22 --> 3261.62] this present darkness and then in the rest of chapter 2 in verse 13 and following believers are told to
[3261.62 --> 3268.34] submit to every human authority and to be clear right this would include emperors and governors who were
[3268.34 --> 3277.38] actively persecuting christians further slaves are commanded to submit to even harsh masters christian
[3277.38 --> 3286.50] wives are called to do right and to not give way to fear even to unbelieving husbands husbands are instructed to
[3286.50 --> 3293.14] live together in wisdom as partners with their wives and hear that right all of this living together
[3293.14 --> 3298.74] in wisdom as partners comes in a culture that doesn't consider equality between men and women at all
[3300.02 --> 3307.14] and then finally all of us in this section are called not to repay evil for evil or insult with insult
[3307.14 --> 3315.30] right on the contrary peter writes repay evil with blessing now how does that make any sense
[3316.50 --> 3323.94] it doesn't right not in the culture of the day not even in our culture not in the so-called normal
[3323.94 --> 3332.98] operation of human interaction it only begins to make sense if you know of a greater reality than the one
[3332.98 --> 3340.42] in front of your face right now and look even as i recap that i know that some of you are going to get
[3340.42 --> 3348.50] hung up on the word submit and if you are coming out of an experience of abuse or trauma i get that
[3350.90 --> 3357.46] but for most of us don't miss the truth for the the ringing in your ears in that word because first
[3357.46 --> 3364.34] of all the greatest model of submission is jesus who prayed right yet not my will be done but yours
[3364.34 --> 3370.90] right jesus who submitted himself to authorities and powers and principalities of this dark age jesus
[3370.90 --> 3377.14] who submitted himself to the cross and then now look at what peter says because he submitted himself
[3377.14 --> 3383.78] to the cross in 3 22 jesus christ has gone into heaven and is at god's right hand with angels
[3383.78 --> 3391.78] authorities and powers in submission to him if you were here last week this is the the crown after the
[3391.78 --> 3400.82] cross again and then again later or elsewhere in the bible in ephesians 5 paul calls us all to submit
[3400.82 --> 3407.22] to one another out of reverence for christ right submitting to god submitting to authorities as his
[3407.22 --> 3414.02] representatives husbands to wives wives to husbands submitting to each other is the economy of gospel
[3414.02 --> 3424.50] living and is is following the example of jesus himself who came not to be served but to serve and
[3424.50 --> 3432.18] to give his life as a ransom for many but you can't be afraid of submission when you know the perfect love
[3432.18 --> 3441.14] of god that drives out fear but again this kind of mutual submission this kind of of lives willing to
[3441.14 --> 3449.70] serve lived for the other only makes sense it's it's only truly possible when you have hope in another
[3449.70 --> 3460.26] life right eternally lived in the experience of the glory of god so let me make this really super abundantly clear
[3461.62 --> 3469.06] the kind of life that peter has been calling us to the kind of life that is born out of the gospel
[3469.06 --> 3480.58] doesn't make sense to the world it doesn't add up it doesn't look right unless your understanding of
[3481.14 --> 3487.94] accounting includes the eternal the economy of christian living won't add up unless your perspective
[3487.94 --> 3495.46] on life includes the end of history and the celestial city of god all you will be ever be able to see is
[3495.46 --> 3506.58] what's right in front of you the only way that you beloved will be able to as peter says in chapter 4 13
[3507.14 --> 3514.10] rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of christ and hear that again right rejoice in as
[3514.10 --> 3520.98] much in as much as you participate in the sufferings of christ so the more you suffer with christ the more
[3520.98 --> 3528.42] rejoicing there ought to be rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of christ so that
[3528.42 --> 3539.70] you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed right rejoice and be overjoyed there's a in the structure
[3539.70 --> 3547.46] of this sentence it's a stacked word pair right the rejoicing is one thing on the this lower level and then
[3547.46 --> 3555.30] the this rejoicing to come will be over and above that it's a stacked up on top of it it's a rejoicing
[3555.30 --> 3560.42] and then an overjoicing and yes i made up that word but i'm going to use it a few more times so
[3560.98 --> 3568.74] come with me but it is a promise of over joicing in the age to come at the full revelation of god's glory
[3568.74 --> 3575.70] in the new heavens and the new earth that that then works its way backwards through history to your present
[3575.70 --> 3581.54] that enables you to rejoice now even in suffering
[3583.70 --> 3593.14] so whether it's a funeral or martyrdom whether it's suffering illness or suffering persecution we
[3593.14 --> 3602.50] can sing great is thy faithfulness when the world is is crumbling around you or or your whole peer group
[3602.50 --> 3608.58] is making fun of you because of your faith you can sing it is well with my soul
[3611.22 --> 3613.70] forgive me for this but when your husband is an ass
[3615.86 --> 3622.74] or when your wife is indifferent when your boss takes advantage of your work ethic or your professor
[3622.74 --> 3626.42] is dismissive of your worldview you can raise a hallelujah
[3630.10 --> 3635.70] the very beginning of this series or if you've been uh working through or looking at the the bible
[3635.70 --> 3643.94] study that we provided right on the the cover page there i asked a question how does being born into a
[3643.94 --> 3653.78] a living hope change the world and this this is the answer okay some of you are going to be shocked by
[3653.78 --> 3660.02] this but the truth is you cannot change the people in your life some of you have been trying to change
[3660.02 --> 3665.22] them for years and the reality is you're going to keep trying to change them for years to come
[3665.86 --> 3679.30] because you cannot change people in your life only god does that but you can change you you can change
[3679.30 --> 3686.26] your perspective you can change how you show up in certain circumstances and situations and and basing
[3686.26 --> 3694.50] your life now on an unshakable all-satisfying hope beyond this life can can literally redefine
[3694.50 --> 3701.78] your present circumstances notice notice carefully right that redefine does not mean change
[3703.54 --> 3712.10] right you don't change your present circumstances suffering may still come trial happens hardship is real
[3714.58 --> 3723.94] but the meaning that you make in the moment that can be new that can be different that can be redefined
[3724.50 --> 3732.34] and when you make a gospel-centered meaning of life and and when you are seeing things through the lens of the
[3732.34 --> 3742.26] consummation when you are seeing the hardship of this world in light of the glory of heaven that changes you
[3744.50 --> 3753.46] and a changed you has an impact of changing the world that the world is transformed communities are transformed
[3753.46 --> 3758.34] when you are transformed when the church is being transformed
[3760.58 --> 3761.06] and yes
[3763.62 --> 3769.46] for those who only see this world it doesn't make sense
[3771.30 --> 3777.62] our hope is other worldly our our mindset is other worldly
[3777.62 --> 3783.22] all rights in colossians set your mind on things above not on earthly things
[3784.74 --> 3793.62] remember in this series in this epistle we have been talking about living as exiles in a pagan land
[3794.50 --> 3799.70] and then one definition of paganism that that we have been offering through this series is to
[3799.70 --> 3810.10] see only this world this system as all there is and so human nature the gods or those things that we treat as
[3810.10 --> 3818.50] god-like are all part of this one same system there is no other there is no holy other there is no holy there is no
[3818.66 --> 3828.58] transcendent and because there is only one system and the things in it whether that's people or nature or the so-called gods of this world