The study of this winter school is to see the fair beauty of the Lord. Words from Psalm 27, the notes are on page 18 of the booklet. In this study we want to look back over the school, have some opportunity to share something of what it's meant to us and to encourage one another in its outworking in our lives. And what we're going to do is simply stay in Psalm 27. I told you before that this theme has been occupying me, exercising me since the beginning of this year. And in the Anglican and other churches we have a season called Lent, the 40 days that lead up to Easter, often a time for doing something extra or focusing on your relationship with God and tending to that with each other. And as I said, coming to this rather confronting topic of to love the Lord your God and realising how much we are preoccupied and exercised with ourselves, the time and energy that goes into that. I resolved to, at least for those 40 days of Lent, whatever else I was reading from the scriptures, always to begin with Psalm 27. It's a good place to be, good place to dwell. There are two parts of it, it goes from verses one to six, and then from seven to 14. I'm going to read through each of those parts, And the first time we do that, I want you to be looking out for seeking God's face, wanting to be in His presence. Just note where you come across that in the psalm. It's the Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold or the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and foes, they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war rise up against me, yet will I be confident. One thing I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after, to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble. He will conceal me under the cover of his tent. He will set me high upon a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Now in that first half of the psalm, where do we find that seeking of God? What verse? Which one? Verse 4, that's right. One thing I've asked of the Lord that I will seek after, to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. See what he's doing, he's seeking there the immediate presence of God. And that's the one thing he's asking of the Lord that he's going to seek after, he's going to pursue all his days. He puts it in these terms, to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. So there's talking about the house of the Lord or the temple. Had the temple been built yet? This is the reign of David, isn't it? And it wasn't built till the reign of his son Solomon. David got a lot of the stuff together that they needed to build the temple and it was on his heart. There's no house of the Lord there, there's no temple. And yet he's saying that's the one thing I'm going to look for. So maybe he's not talking about the temple that's going to be built in Jerusalem. What's he really talking about there? or the presence of the Lord, His sanctuary, His dwelling place, wherever He is. He's wanting the nearness of God. What did God say to Israel when He brought them out of Egypt? Exodus chapter 29, the end of that chapter, where He was talking about the tent of meeting, and the morning and evening offering that would be, the burnt sacrifice that would be offered morning and evening every day at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord. And the Lord says, there I will meet with you and speak to you there. I will meet with the Israelites there and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar, Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the Israelites and I will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord, Yahweh, their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. Why did he bring them out of the land of Egypt? that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord your God." Now whether it's the tabernacle, whether it's the temple, whether neither of them are there, that's what David is seeking, what God has had on his heart for Israel, to dwell among them. David says, that's where I want to be all the days of my life. Normally it was only the priests who spent all their time in the temple. Was David a priest? Well, no, not strictly. But he wants that nearness of God and it's there for him. The Lord is there for him. He's brought Israel out of Egypt that he might dwell among them. So as I said, we've The topic of the school is to love the Lord your God, and we've spoken of that, we've spoken of God, much of God loving us, and we've moved on to us loving others. And for many people, particularly in Australia, that's where the crunch comes. That's the most important thing, if you love other people. It's good that that's built into our culture, isn't it? The Salvos will be out this week, and they'll be collecting for welfare work and for the poor. and people will give very freely and willingly to them, because that's what we reckon is a fair enough thing in Australia to do, and good on the Salvos, because at least they're out there doing it. But what keeps the Salvos doing that? What will keep the Salvos doing that? Well, if you've ever been into a Salvation Army service centre, you'll see on the wall their statement of faith, and it's clearer there than it is in many church welfare agencies. So the Salvation Army are people with us who seek the face of the Lord, who seek the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And as long as they keep doing that, and as long as we keep doing that, they'll be sustained in what they're doing. To look to God in his face, to love him, to seek his presence, to know his loving. So that was the one thing that David asked for, amidst everything else. And it's very clear his prayer was heard there, isn't it? His head was lifted up, the Lord was his light and his salvation, the Lord was the strength of his life. Let's read through the second half from verse 7, looking again for seeking the presence of the Lord, seeking to be with God, seeking to love him. And just before we do that, we sang parts of Psalm 42 and 43. There's a deer longs for flowing brooks, so longs my heart for you, O Lord. And I said, we're structured to love God, to long for Him, to seek Him in that way. And that's a Psalm that looks also to the sanctuary of the Lord, isn't it? But from a position far away, someone who's been cut off from the sanctuary of the Lord, someone who's in an alien territory, far from it. And that's why they're longing for that presence of the Lord, like as in a dry place where there's no water, as a deer longs for the flowing brooks. So we're not always in that place. That's why David needed to ask for it, wasn't it? We're not always at a winter school, are we? There'll be places where we go, where we need to ask for that sanctuary of the Lord, the presence of God. Second half from verse 7. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me. Come, my heart says, seek his face. Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger. you who have been my help, do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord. That's Psalm 27. Where in that second half of the Psalm was he seeking the presence of God specifically? Verse 8, come my heart says seek his face. Your face, Lord, do I seek. An alternative translation from the New King James Version. When you said, seek my face, my heart said to you, your face, Lord, do I seek. That's a legitimate translation. I think all that we've got in the Hebrew is the words, seek my face. Your face, Lord, I will seek. But who's saying seek my face? Is it my heart saying to God, or is it my heart saying to me, seek his face? Or is it God saying to us, seek my face? Well, it's probably coming from both directions. If God is God and we're made in the image of God to have affinity with him, then God is saying to us, seek my face. And our hearts are saying, seek his face, seek his face. And we say, my heart says, Your face, Lord, do I seek. So it could be either, could be both. As in Romans 8, 15 to 16, you've received the spirit of adoption. When we cry, Abba, Father, we cry, Abba, Father, it is that very spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. So where's it coming from? It's coming from the Spirit of God and we're saying it, Abba Father. And he's saying, Abba Father. You virtually can't distinguish that, it's one, isn't it? And that's what Jesus prayed, wasn't it? We sang a song earlier in the school, God dwells in a man, a man dwells in God, forever together through covenant blood. Now a couple of speakers, for those who perhaps weren't here earlier, spoke of a friend of ours who has highlighted his Bible, all the things that God has done he's highlighted them in purple, all the things that we're to do he's highlighted them in yellow. Important to distinguish those, so we don't think it's all up to us. But when we come to God dwells in a man and a man dwells in God forever together through covenant blood and then that one does something like loving someone. What colour are you going to mark that? Are you going to mark it purple? Are you going to mark it yellow? Or is there another colour we haven't even thought of? And doesn't God want us to bring us to the point where it is 100% us as much as it is 100% him? And that is what Jesus prayed for when he said, Father, I want them to be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. And you are in us and we are in you. There's no color in the in the spectrum to describe that, is there? That they may be perfectly, perfectly one. Come, my heart says, seek his face. You said, seek my face. My heart said to you, your face, Lord, I seek. We heard how in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. He wasn't just alongside God, he was pros. Tom Theon, pros, is a towards Word. Into Word. He was into the face of God, face to face with God. And Jesus prayed, Father, I desire that those also whom you've given me may be with me where I am to see my glory, which you've given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Prostantheon. And then we heard that in Romans 5. Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace. Prostantheon. Towards and into God. through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And he said, that sets you up for suffering, and there's joy and there's glory in that. Your face, Lord, do I seek. You say to me, seek my face. So that's the two halves of Psalm 27. We're going to look now at each of those halves to look at the situation in which David is in both cases praying that same prayer. I want to be in your presence, I want to seek your face. Now what's he up against in the first half? Just have a look at verses 1 to 3. The Lord is my light, my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and foes, they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war rise against me, yet will I be confident. And then he prays that prayer. So what's his situation? Well, he's got enemies all around him, hasn't he? And they're outward enemies and they are assailing him. And that's why he needs to be hidden in a shelter in the day of trouble under the cover of his tent, high on a rock. And praise that in the end now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me. So David faces external enemies. in these first six verses. Now you only have to look at the life of David to see that it was actually the case pretty well for the whole of his life, before he became king and all the time he was king. Let's just have a look at some of those enemies. We'll begin at 1 Samuel 18. Verse 10, the next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he writhed within his house while David was playing the lyre. Might have been playing Psalm 27, who knows? He needed to after this. As he did day by day Saul had his spear in his hand and Saul threw the spear for he thought I'll pin David to the wall but David eluded him twice. So that was Saul. Chapter 19 verse 1, Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and all his servants about killing David. So there was a ganging up against David. Saul was trying to foment that, even with his own son who was David's best friend. And so in verse 10, Saul sought to pin David to the wall with a spear, but he eluded Saul so he struck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night, as well he might. Turn to chapter 22, verse 12. No, I've got the wrong reference there. Sorry. 2110. David rose and fled that day from Saul. He went to King Achish of Gath and fled from Saul and took refuge amongst the enemies of Israel, who were the Philistines. 2314, David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but the Lord didn't give him into his hands. So he's running from cave to cave, from rock shelter to rock shelter. Chapter 26, verse 1, the Ziphites dobbed on him. Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah saying, David is hiding in the hill of Hekila, which is off of Jezreel. So Saul rose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with 3,000 chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. He's got a bit to pray about there, hasn't he? 27 verse 1, David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There's nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel. I'll escape out of his hand. Pretty desperate measures. to resort to the Philistines, but you can see he's just about at the end of his tether here. He says, I'm not going to make this. I'm not going to make it. Chapter 30, verse 3. When David and his men came to the city, this is the city of Ziklag that they've been given to live in, they found it burnt down and all their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. And David just about lost his head then when the soldier said, what's happened to all our wives and children here? And David was in great danger, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God, surrounded by the enemies and even his own troops. Chapter 2 verse 3, this is after David has come to the throne of Judah. but still most of Israel won't accept his kingship. There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker, but that was a very bloody struggle and prolonged. Chapter 5, 2 Samuel 5, verse 17. When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. And so there were wars with the Philistines and the surrounding nations. Saul and his army of 3,000 must have been bad enough, but now all the armies of the Philistines and the surrounding nations. Chapter 10, verse 6. When the Ammonites saw that they'd become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth Rehob and the Arameans of Zobah. 20,000 foot soldiers as well as the king of Maacah, 1,000 men and the men of Tob, 12,000 men. Chapter 15, verse 13. Now this is within his own family. A messenger came to David saying, the hearts of the Israelites have gone after Absalom. Then David and all his officials who were with him at Jerusalem, as he said, flee, get up, let us flee, or there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Hurry, or he'll soon overtake us and bring disaster down upon us and attack the city with the edge of the sword. David's own son with an army against him. Chapter 20, verse 1. Soon as that rebellion has been settled, Now a scoundrel named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjaminite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and cried out, we have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse. Everyone to your tents, O Israel. So all the people of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba son of Bikri. But all he had left was his own tribe of Judah. 21 verse 15. The Philistines went to war again with Israel and David went down together with his servants. They fought against the Philistines and David grew weary. He'd be a bit tired by now, don't you think? And he's not as young as he used to be and that's when the soldiers said, look, you better not come out with us because if you go, we're lost. Those are David's external enemies. Gives a little bit more color to Psalm 27, doesn't it? It's not a theoretical exercise. When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and foes, they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war rise up against me, yet will I be confident. One thing I've asked from the Lord, good strategy plans and a bigger army? No. to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. Now my head is lifted up, above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Now this afternoon, tomorrow, you'll be going back to where you came from. And I'm not saying that you're going to be surrounded by enemies quite like that, armies of 20,000 or so. There's going to be something though that you're up against that is external to yourself over which you have no control. What is that? Just think of one thing. Maybe just turn to each other and Ask the person next to you if they're willing to share it, they don't have to. What are you going to be up against as an external enemy? No, I won't ask you to share that with the rest of us. And what you're going to be up against may pale into insignificance alongside what David was up against, but what are you going to do about it? One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will require, that I will seek after, to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. I know sometimes I wake up earlier in the morning. I've learned never to trust the thoughts that go through my head and heart. between three and five o'clock in the morning. And I say, I'll come to you, I've got to speak to the Lord. And so when it's appropriate time, I have the time of prayer. Things get a little bit straightened out then. You can see things for what they are. So what are you up against? What are you going to do with those enemies? Well, the God that you are looking at face to face, as you seek his face, is a God who loves enemies. You know that, don't you? Because it was while we were enemies, remember, haters of God, that we were reconciled to our Father by the death of his Son. So what did Jesus say about your enemies? You be like your father in heaven. You know how much he loved you when you were his enemies. If you're going to be children of him, take after him. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Bless those who despitefully use you. That's what you're going to do with those enemies. But you'll be able to do that because your head is lifted high above those enemies. The Lord is the rock on which He set you. Just a word about to behold the beauty of the Lord. Another translation that I like to use, to behold the fair beauty of the Lord. But the word is actually the graciousness the graciousness of the Lord. Now we use that word both ways, don't we? Even in English, there's a graceful swan, which is a beautiful swan, or a graceful ballet dancer is a beautiful ballet dancer. But we know what grace is, don't we? And graciousness is when someone is kind and merciful to us, just out of who they are, and not necessarily anything to do with who we are. So to see the fair beauty of the Lord, what David is really asking for is to see the graciousness of the Lord. Not just how beautiful he is and to get carried away with that, but to know that kindness, that mercy operating from his face in my life. And that's really what we come to when we come to the second half of the psalm. What's going on here? Here, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me. And he prays that prayer, seek his face. Then he says, do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. Now, why would he be worried about that? Why would he say don't hide your face from me? What have we heard hides the face of God? What does God turn away from? Well he turns away from evil and he turns away from sin and he turns away from sinners and he turned away from his son on that cross as he bore in his own body the sin of the world and embraced in his own love every sinner that had ever rebelled against God. So what kind of enemy is David talking about here? It's not the external enemies and we've seen how God dealt with all of those. But what's he going to do about the enemy in here? When he looked on Bathsheba lustfully and he arranged for her husband to be murdered and he slept with her and committed adultery. Come, my heart says, seek his face. Your face, Lord, do I seek in that situation. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Do not cast me off. Do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer my prayer. That's the situation for which he's praying that same prayer in the second half of the psalm. Some commentators are convinced that there is not one psalm here, there would have to be two, written by different people because they're so different situations. Here's someone who's had his head lifted up above all of his enemies and now he's praying this abject, from this abject position. How could that be the same person? Well, we know David was the same person. He was rescued by God from all his enemies, and he fell into that pit. He stooped down there. We know we're the same, don't we? You've been baptized into Christ Jesus. You've been baptized into his death. You've been raised from death to life. That's in Romans 6, and then guess what comes, Romans 7. and Romans 8. And it's all the same person, it's all the same Paul, it's all the same us. So I reckon it's all one son, really. And the devastation that sin caused in him, in his life, in his family and in his kingdom. We saw Absalom's rebellion, and that came about as a direct result of David's own sin and his stuffing up, basically, with his family. And the kingdom was dragged into all of that, the whole kingdom. So there's not a lot of positive signs there for David, isn't there? But in that situation, what does he say? You have said to me, my heart has said to you, seek his face. Your face, Lord, do I seek. Be gracious to me. I need to know the graciousness of the Lord. So in both those situations, external and internal enemies, David is given a single-minded seeking to be in the presence of God face to face, to see God's fair beauty, His graciousness, the love and the grace of God for what it is. I wonder if you've seen that in a new or a different way over this winter school. What has God shown you of himself in the face of your external enemies, in the face of your internal enemies? I wonder if there are people who'd just like to share something of what that's meant to them. If it's appropriate to share with us all, we could all be encouraged by that. Sharon? I really felt this weekend it's helped me to see that I'm not on my own when I'm loving. You're not on your own when you're loving. It's all the love of God flowing through. Aaron? Somewhere in the mumbling I said to Ron about what I was facing when I went home from today. and there's vast deserts of unbelief. The reason I found I wasn't here on Saturday was because I was counselling my mum and reading scripture today. So that's some of what we go back to, isn't it? The deserts of unbelief, maybe in our own families, certainly all around us, and from that strength that's within, as we look on His face, able to minister out of that, bring the Word of God. I was thinking this morning that it's so simple to love. Sometimes you can feel very isolated, and a Christian friend can give you an encouraging smile. And I can realise what's happened, but if you're lost, you're not alone. So it's not a great, powerful thing you've got to do to love. We said that lovers are acts, aren't they? Just things you do. Like John had his arm up to here in the sewer pit out there. It was a very loving thing we were reminded this morning, to unblock the drains. But that's just what you do, you know? That's love. It can be as simple as a smile, as you say. And we're not alone in that, and we shouldn't leave each other alone in that. Yes, Aidan. I think just, quite, of the self incapable of loving, bloody Christ, being stricken with love, being disfaithful. Great encouragement, isn't it, when we realise our incapacity, our incapableness of loving, though we're made for that, but the way we've gone, we've rendered ourselves incapable of that, we've become enemies, haters instead of lovers, and to have that love that comes from God and comes constantly through that cross to us. and then is able to keep going and sustain. I've lifted my head above my enemies, external, internal. Yes. Pamela? Just hearing the fullness of what God's about in His love and knowing that Sometimes in Christian situations, sadly, we're put on to perform, aren't we? Facade. But once we've been through that cross, once we know all of us have been through that cross, we haven't got a leg to stand on, have we? We don't have to pretend anything. but we can encourage one another in that knowledge of the deep grace of God. We can stand upon that rock we can love with our heads lifted up above those enemies, even the inside ones. Question- I believe the Lord is the tears, the tears that actually flow of the joy of the Lord's presence. We saw the woman weeping over Jesus' feet, didn't we? And we were told that wasn't something that maybe would have come naturally to her, but she was broken open by the love that had come to her, hadn't she? And showed that in a wonderful way. Thank you. Thank you. It is an encouragement to us all. how that fair beauty, that graciousness of the Lord that we've been made to seek, that we've been commanded to seek, that we long to seek, how that graciousness has come to us. So David knew that the Lord was with him, even if father and mother, family forsake me, the Lord will take me up. But now look at verse 11. Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies." And I think he's talking about both kinds of enemies here, the external and the internal. Looking at the Lord's face, he's looking to be taught by God, because we've admitted we don't know it for ourselves. And it's such a minefield, isn't it? relationships, life. And if you're sort of treading on eggshells and one explodes in your face, you can be put, you know, they can put you back a long way and maybe you run to a foxhole and pull your head in or something. But you don't have to do that. Teach me your way, O Lord. Lead me on a level path. So we're making progress here. We're walking in life because of my enemies. Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries. False witnesses have risen against me. Not everything you hear you can trust. Not everything you think yourself you can trust. You need to be led by his truth. You teach me Lord. How's he going to do that? Through his word and through the word that comes through the fellowship with each other. They're breathing out violence, so they haven't let up. What has he asked? One thing I've asked of the Lord that I'll seek after to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. What has he asked? He said, come, my heart says, seek his face. Your face, Lord, do I seek. And guess what's happened, well he's seen God's face, but guess what's going to happen? He's going to see God's face. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Now the land of the living could be Israel, the promised land, But we know there's a fair bit of dying in there too, wasn't there? But David also prayed in Psalm 16, you will not let my flesh see corruption. The apostle said, well, David's flesh saw corruption, but we know someone whose flesh didn't. And David's in that one and so are we. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. So whether David fully understood that or not, we can understand that to be, can we not, the new heavens and the new earth, where righteousness dwells, where there is the true life of God, where we are in life with Him. He is the God of the living, not of the dead. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. And what I've seen of His face now convinces me of that, and holds my head up amongst all my enemies, and makes me fear not even the enemy, the last enemy which is death. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Even now I know God as my light, my salvation, my strength, my shelter, my uplifter. And I look to see, I know I will see, the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, even in the age to come. And so what does he say? What does he say to himself? What does he say to those he's singing this psalm to? Wait for the Lord, wait for the Lord. Just as I have said I want to dwell in his house all my days, just as I have said I seek his face, you wait for the Lord, you do that. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. Wait for the Lord. And so it is for this that we wait in prayerful and active anticipation, which takes us back to where we started from pretty well, 1 Peter chapter 1, where what it is to know that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living is spelled out in wonderful ways in the light post Jesus' resurrection. Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to the exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia. Now they were exiles because they were living out in those back blocks but We're all exiles in this life, aren't we? Wayfarers, pilgrims, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood. That's where you belong, well and truly secured. May grace and peace be yours in abundance, as it will be. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, being protected by the power of God through faith. for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while, tomorrow and the day after and however long, you have had to suffer various trials. So that the genuineness of your faith being more precious than gold that they perishable is tested by fire. Would we have Psalm 27 if David hadn't been surrounded by enemies without and within? I don't think so. But now we have it and it's precious as gold because it shows what was at the heart of that man refined by God's judgments and trials. So that the genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that though perishable is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. although you have not seen him, you love him. Jesus said to Peter, do you love me? He said, yes. And so Peter said, though you have not seen him, you love him. and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.