Thursday, October 12, 2023

           The early days of spring often remind us of regeneration and new life.  Once dormant plants return to life.  The drabness of winter gives way to a burst of greens and colors that dots the landscape of creation.  The arrival of spring reminds us of God’s creative and regenerative powers.  Easter usually coincides with the arrival of Spring.  At Easter, we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and realize that we have the hope of resurrection and everlasting life because of what Christ did for us in dying and rising again.  We remember that Christ did for us what we could never possibly do for ourselves.  We are hopelessly lost and sinful before Christ and apart from Christ. As the prophet Isaiah noted, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6a).  But thankfully, we do not have to stay that way.  We can enjoy new life and a new beginning.  In his own words, Peter wrote of this glorious gift of new life that God provides to those who turn to Him.  The apostle wrote, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23-25).  A few important lessons about God’s work among us stand out for us to see and remember.
            First, Peter wrote to believers so he could definitively say, “you have been born again.”  We can take confidence in what God has done for us if we have embraced His Son as Savior and Lord.  This reality has been accomplished.  We no longer live the old life or the old ways.  We are not slaves to sin or Satan any longer.  Those old chains have been broken and severed.  The life we once lived or knew no longer defines us.  It is a joy to know confidently and without any reservation that we have been born again.  And just as we had nothing to contribute to our first birth, we have nothing to contribute to the second or new birth either.  God does this work of grace wholly and completely without any cooperation or support from us.  And because God does this work, it is right, good and complete.
            Second, we were born again from “imperishable” seed.  That was His way of saying this new birth has no time limit or time frame to it.  It has no expiration or “sell by” date.  The new life we receive in and through Christ does not wear down or wear out.  It endures.  It lasts.  It is suitable for eternity.  When it comes to faith, we have a choice to make.  We can be born twice and die only once.  Or, we can be born only once but die twice.  If we are physically born and spiritually born again, tow births, we will only suffer one death.  And by that one death, we leave this world behind and wake up immediately in eternity and the presence of Christ.  If we are only physically born and never experience a regenerative second birth through God’s grace and the work of Christ, we will not only die physically but we will also be separated from the Lord for all eternity.  In essence, we suffer a physical death on earth and a spiritual death or disconnection from the Lord for eternity.
            Third, this word “imperishable” means incorruptible, indestructible and not inclined to decay.  Simply put, we do not have to worry about this new life being impacted or harmed by disease, injury, aging or wearing out.  The physical you that comes from conception and human reproduction is not immune to injury, disease, aging or time.  The physical bodies that we possess are “perishable.”  They will not last forever and cannot be maintained for eternity no matter how healthy you might try to live.  The new life we find only in Christ is “imperishable” because of God’s spoken word.  He has declared it to be.  He has spoken this “imperishable” state into existence and reality.  Peter added that the “word of the Lord endures forever” (1:25b).  Whatever God declares will remain so.  God’s will and word are supreme.
            Fourth, Peter wrote that lives are like grass.  Even a life of more than a century in length is but a flash compared to eternity.  We cannot stretch our days into eternity by sheer desire or will.  “Grass withers and the flowers fall,” wrote Peter (1:24b).  Only God can lengthen life or make it suitable for eternity.  Just as grass and flowers come from perishable seeds, so too do we.  It is only a new birth brought to be by God’s grace that gives us the gift of life that is everlasting.  Living happily ever after is not a fairytale.  It is a promise and pledge that God has made to His people.  Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  Ordinary life becomes abundant life when Christ takes over the throne of your life. 
            As we mull over Peter’s words, it might be good to remember the words of another apostle.  This time we think about what Paul wrote about God’s life-giving power.  He wrote, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  This new life comes as a gift—a gift of grace received by faith.  Peter certainly knew what a new life looked like.  He was restored and forgiven after denying Jesus three different times.  And Paul too knew what a new life looked like.  He was redeemed and remade after a bloodthirsty career as a terrorist and murderer.  God’s grace possesses limitless power to make the perishable imperishable, to make the old new and to make fallen humans into new creations.  Have a great Thursday!  Remember you can share our worship any time at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.