Foundations of Faith: Objective Reality

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Myths and legends are common to mankind. They're inventions of human speculation and imagination without historical context.

In other words, they have no correspondence to reality. So when it comes to the matter of faith, you might have heard it said, I don't trust faith, I trust facts. The truth is that faith and facts are not mutually exclusive.

Belief without foundation is mere credulity, not faith. As Peter calls us to live as people who remember, he points out the foundation of information provided through revelation and history. He makes it clear that our faith has solid footing in objective reality, the life, works, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

You're listening to part three of a message titled Foundations of Faith, Objective Reality. It was first preached on July 23, 2023 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. And it was Paul who said of Jesus, Paul was in Athens speaking to all the religious and philosophical people of his day.

We were always looking for something new. Those had even erected an image to an unknown God. Paul said, let me introduce you to this unknown God. He is the creator of all, and he has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And he will, he died, he rose again, he ascended, and he's coming back. And he says, he has given us assurance of this. He will come back to judge the world, and he's given us assurance of this by raising him from the dead.

A historic reality. So when the day dawns, this is a reference to when Christ returns, the day of the Lord, if you will. Revelation 22 16, Jesus said, I am the bright and morning star.

I am the bright and morning star. Here's what we need to learn from this. God is moving history towards his completed purpose. Christians, let me say that again, okay?

I'm not going to get too far from the mic. God is moving history towards his completed purpose. Do you understand that? Do you find comfort in that?

Ought that to rescue you from being a chicken little? How many of you don't know what I mean when I say that? You watch a lot of Christians today, you would think the world's falling apart and there's nothing we can do about it. That's not the picture that the Bible presents.

As long as we are in the world, there is something we can do about it. Now this next part you're not going to like. It may come at a cost.

It will. It came at a cost for Jesus. It came at a cost for every one of these disciples. It came at a cost for Peter. He was about to die at the hands of Nero.

But he did something about it, didn't he? Because God is moving history towards his completed purpose. This is what Paul says in Ephesians 1 verses 9 and 10. Making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. To unite all things in him that day when Christ is preeminent in all things everywhere. Christ is preeminent. This is what Peter is emphasizing in this text.

What are the life implications of this? So this is the so what of what Peter is saying. What is the justification of our faith? Objective reality confirmed prophecy. The astronomical batting average of biblical prophecy. Life implications. The life implication for us is that we need to trust God's information. Just like an airline pilot trusts all the instruments that are in front of him, we need to trust God's information that he's given us.

And fly the airplane. This is what Peter says here. You will do well to pay attention. You will do well to pay attention. Pay attention.

What does that mean? To continue to give yourself to it. In other words, it's a dark place. Here's the light. Walk in the light.

It's that simple. But you know, we who are in Christ and the more we know scripture, it's not just the light shining a little spot on the path. For us, it's a light like the sun that brightens the day because by God's revelation, we not only see the light, but we see everything else. We see reality for what it is. We see the big picture as God has made it known to us.

A lamp shining in a dark place. What does darkness represent? Ignorance. Confusion.

And where it's dark and there's ignorance and confusion, there is also collision. In scripture, this is an exercise in futility. It's to ignore truth. It's to ignore the light.

It's to ignore the information that's been given. As Paul writes to the Ephesians and to the Colossians, it's people living in the futility of their darkened minds. That's what unbelief is. Here's the invitation to you and me. Let's not participate in that. Let's not walk in the futility of our darkened minds. Let's follow the light. You will do well to pay attention to the light that God has turned on and pay attention to it. As he turns the light on for us, then we are able also to turn the light on for others. That's our calling. It could be you're here this morning, you're way too preoccupied in cursing the darkness.

How's that working for you? It really doesn't change anything to curse the darkness, does it? It changes everything when you turn the light on.

We could talk about that for a while. What does it mean to turn the light on? It means to live the gospel.

It means to fully be fully confident in the gospel, preach in the gospel to yourself so that your attitudes and affections are transformed and your actions are transformed and they reflect the character of Christ. And as you reflect the character of Christ, you are living the gospel and that's turning the light on for others. And you have to understand there are going to be some people that do not like the light.

That's okay for you. You're not responsible for whether or not they like the light. But if you think you're turning the light on and you're doing it with darkness, there's a reason why they don't like what you call the light.

It's a whole other seminar, no extra charge for that. Until the morning star arises in your heart, he says, to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. To what end? This life implication of following the light, to what end? I think he's using a poetic phrase here. It's similar to what Paul uses in Colossians 1 27 where he says, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's the verse that we have printed above us here. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

You want to know how to turn the light on? Live this. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. That's how you live the gospel.

Now I'm going to get down to the nitty-gritty of that, and you're not going to like it. But it's words that Jesus said. Here's what he said in Matthew 5. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. You, therefore, must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. What is he talking about there?

Is that Tilios? This is the purpose he has for you. This is the work that he's doing in you to conform you. He's predestined you to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ. And he says, as Christ walked on the earth, as Christ walked, so you walk in his steps. You see, he didn't just stand aloof and tell us, you have to do this. He sent us a man to follow in his steps. An example.

Not only an example, but a means. Because we do this only by the grace of God. As he transforms our hearts and our minds through regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

It's his purpose for us to become like Christ, to love God, to please him, to be satisfied in him, and thereby to glorify him. Because Jesus said, Jesus said, I am the light of the world, but he also said what? You are the light of the world. It's not your light, okay? No, don't think I have to be brilliant. You see what I did there? It's not your light.

You are simply reflecting a light. Perfectly like Christ, we will be perfectly like Christ when we are face to face with him at his coming. And we can count on that based on the record of history and what God has done and fulfilled all of his promises in Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ promised, I am coming back. Listen, we can count on that. And we can live in that expectation. That's what he calls us to do.

You can count on it as sure as I'm standing here this morning. So I think what Peter is saying here in verse 19 is another way of him saying what he did in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 7 to 9. Speaking of the kind of your suffering that you're having to experience, that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in what? Praise, glory and honor when? At the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you do not see him, you love him.

Though you have not seen him, you believe in him and what? Rejoice with what? Joy, inexpressible and filled with glory. Obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. I think what he says here at the end of verse 19 is exactly the same thing of what he said there.

Live in the light. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him. The one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.