And welcome back.
00:00:01.33\00:00:02.73
Dr. Shepherd, before
you answer that question
00:00:02.76\00:00:04.27
of rejoicing while suffering,
00:00:04.30\00:00:06.17
tell us a little more
of these three outcomes,
00:00:06.20\00:00:09.17
living hope,
inheritance and salvation.
00:00:09.20\00:00:11.34
All right. So we had--
00:00:11.37\00:00:12.74
we discovered that Peter talks
about the new birth experience.
00:00:12.77\00:00:15.51
That's why we are praising God
00:00:15.54\00:00:17.11
because of this
new birth experience.
00:00:17.15\00:00:19.18
And he says, there
are these three outcomes
00:00:19.21\00:00:21.75
that experience has, a
living hope, and inheritance
00:00:21.78\00:00:25.92
that doesn't fade
away, and salvation.
00:00:25.95\00:00:29.06
Now, if you notice,
it's there in verse 5.
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It's where he says,
"For a salvation ready
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to be revealed
in the last time."
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So here's the question,
is salvation present now
00:00:38.37\00:00:41.40
or is it
something in the future?
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Well, it says here,
"Revealed in the last time."
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Yeah. It seems to be future.
00:00:47.88\00:00:50.05
Now is it--that kind
of concerns some people.
00:00:50.08\00:00:51.95
They're still
like, "Oh, wait a minute,
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don't we have security nominee,
00:00:53.98\00:00:55.35
don't we have assurance
of salvation in Christ now?"
00:00:55.38\00:00:58.19
Well, remember,
Peter has just said
00:00:58.22\00:01:01.02
that you have
been born again, right?
00:01:01.06\00:01:03.19
So, he's talking
about-- he has talked
00:01:03.22\00:01:05.09
in those first few verses
about this covenant with God,
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you're His covenant
people, you're in His household,
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of course, you have
assurance of salvation.
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So why in the world does he talk
about salvation being so future?
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So, whenever he
talks almost without feel,
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whenever he
talks about salvation,
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it's the future
salvation, all right.
00:01:21.31\00:01:24.65
One of the reasons that He does
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this is because of
their current situation.
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Their situation of suffering
that they are going through.
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And when you say
the salvation is coming,
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that's the rescue.
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The word
"salvation" means to heal,
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it also means rescue.
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And so the rescue is on
its way, the rescue is coming.
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And God is preserving
this for you in the future.
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Because your present now
is, you know, all shaken up.
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And so they need this
kind of future orientation
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to their life, hope,
inheritance and salvation.
00:02:01.15\00:02:04.65
It's really
amazing, I mean, like I said,
00:02:04.69\00:02:07.36
when I started to
study in this book,
00:02:07.39\00:02:09.52
it just really blows your way
how he interlinks these ideas.
00:02:09.56\00:02:14.66
And the first way I
thought this book was--
00:02:14.73\00:02:18.20
these books was by
following theological themes.
00:02:18.23\00:02:22.64
And I would
follow the theme of God,
00:02:22.67\00:02:24.11
all the way through the book.
00:02:24.14\00:02:25.51
And I'd follow
the theme of Jesus,
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all the way through the book.
00:02:26.94\00:02:28.31
And I'd follow the
theme of salvation,
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all the way through the book.
00:02:29.74\00:02:31.11
I put it in charts,
I'm a big chart maker guy.
00:02:31.15\00:02:32.51
And I would put in
charts and everything
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and I was just like,
wow, this is so amazing.
00:02:34.22\00:02:37.25
And all of this,
you know, theology
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that is brought to
bear upon the problems
00:02:38.69\00:02:41.39
these people
have in everyday life.
00:02:41.42\00:02:43.19
I'm afraid that too
often in our daily life,
00:02:43.22\00:02:46.13
we separate our
life from theology.
00:02:46.16\00:02:48.73
We separate it from what
the scriptures talk about.
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We--we kind of do theology
on the weekend, you know.
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Let's go to church.
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We will see Jesus
there, you know, we'll pray.
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And then the rest of our life
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we're working very hard,
you know, doing everything else.
00:03:00.91\00:03:03.68
No, it's supposed to be,
everyday all linked together.
00:03:03.71\00:03:07.42
All right, so we
better, we better press on here.
00:03:07.45\00:03:11.72
Verse 6, he says,
"In this you rejoice,
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" now this-- in this is probably
00:03:15.72\00:03:20.30
all the stuff he's
been taking about already.
00:03:20.33\00:03:22.53
All of these
words, all of these ideas,
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of the covenant,
of the inheritance,
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of the new
birth, of the salvation.
00:03:27.80\00:03:29.90
In this-- in that realm, okay.
00:03:29.94\00:03:33.88
"In this you rejoice
though now for a little while,
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if necessary, you have
been grieved by various trials."
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Now, other than the inkling
00:03:46.15\00:03:47.59
that you had in the first
verse that you were a stranger.
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I remember there are some
people that wanted to say,
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"I used to phony--you
know, not really a metaphor."
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Other than that you don't have
00:03:57.73\00:04:00.04
a sense up to
this point in the book
00:04:00.07\00:04:03.17
that there is
any kind of problem.
00:04:03.20\00:04:05.31
It's all good news.
00:04:05.34\00:04:06.71
It all sounds really, wow,
00:04:06.74\00:04:08.14
and this sounds
really good, you know.
00:04:08.18\00:04:10.21
But then he comes and he
brings this issue of suffering.
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He says, "In this you rejoice,
00:04:17.42\00:04:19.52
though now for a
little while, if necessary,
00:04:19.55\00:04:21.42
you have been
grieved by various trials."
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Here's two opposites
in the Christian life,
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rejoicing and trials.
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Another oxymoron, two things
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that don't seem to fit together.
00:04:31.13\00:04:33.34
I remember very well,
00:04:33.37\00:04:35.47
years ago, we were
missionaries in Brazil.
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And we've been in
Brazil for about a month
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I think it was.
00:04:42.21\00:04:43.91
And it was time
for me to go get a car.
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So I went to a town, ironically
called named Americano.
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And indeed it had been founded
00:04:52.55\00:04:54.69
by people from
the United States.
00:04:54.72\00:04:56.73
And my friends,
my Brazilian friends
00:04:56.76\00:04:58.66
took me to look at a
car and we went to this guy,
00:04:58.69\00:05:00.93
he was a used car dealer,
you know, near the station.
00:05:00.96\00:05:03.43
Finally got in there,
00:05:03.47\00:05:04.83
we were driving
around Americano, you know.
00:05:04.87\00:05:07.30
I decided--nah, this
isn't the car I wanted,
00:05:07.34\00:05:10.67
you know, I don't
think I'll take this car.
00:05:10.71\00:05:12.27
So they said,
"Okay, turn around."
00:05:12.31\00:05:13.68
So it was a four
lane road, you know,
00:05:13.71\00:05:16.88
two lanes going down a
hill, two lanes going up.
00:05:16.91\00:05:19.41
So I pulled into
the center divider
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and I looked to my
right just like you know,
00:05:21.72\00:05:23.59
they drive on
the right hand side,
00:05:23.62\00:05:24.99
just like as we do in the U.S.
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I looked to my right and
there were cars coming up,
00:05:26.42\00:05:27.79
so I waited for the cars
to come up and go pass me.
00:05:27.82\00:05:29.92
And I pulled out
into one of the lanes.
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And when I pulled out here
was this horn blaring at me
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and I looked to
my left up the hill
00:05:38.30\00:05:40.97
and here's a car
coming down the hill
00:05:41.00\00:05:43.81
the wrong way on the
lane right towards me,
00:05:43.84\00:05:48.01
smashed into the car.
00:05:48.04\00:05:50.35
I mean it's like I
can close my eyes today
00:05:50.38\00:05:52.38
and I can see the
window in front of me
00:05:52.41\00:05:55.52
was there one second and then
00:05:55.55\00:05:57.62
it just was a thousand
pieces and just fell down.
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The car was
pushed-- Just head on?
00:06:01.99\00:06:04.86
Smashed right
into the driver's door.
00:06:04.89\00:06:07.00
Hurt my leg, I ended
up with seven stitches
00:06:07.03\00:06:09.66
on the top of my head.
00:06:09.70\00:06:12.00
Ah, it was so terrible.
00:06:12.03\00:06:13.80
I remember saying-- I was just--
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I remember what I said,
00:06:16.27\00:06:18.07
"Oh, why did
this have to happen?"
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Thus began five
months of trouble.
00:06:21.71\00:06:24.71
Aah, the problems
of whose fault it was
00:06:24.75\00:06:27.42
and insurance and who was--
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the car had no
insurance on it then.
00:06:29.55\00:06:31.82
So, I ended up
having to buy the car
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which I never drove again.
00:06:33.96\00:06:35.32
You know, it was totaled
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and then on and
on and on and on.
00:06:36.76\00:06:38.26
So you purchased
the totaled vehicle?
00:06:38.29\00:06:40.36
Yes, I purchased
the totaled vehicle.
00:06:40.40\00:06:42.23
And then after that you had--
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That I drove for
about 20 minutes, you know.
00:06:43.67\00:06:45.97
And I remember going into--
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talk to the
treasurer of the college.
00:06:48.60\00:06:52.64
And he tried to console
me, they would loan me money
00:06:52.67\00:06:56.28
and, you know, and everything
00:06:56.31\00:06:57.68
I could pay back over time.
00:06:57.71\00:06:59.41
He said, "Don't
worry, it will be all right.
00:06:59.45\00:07:01.25
Don't worry, it
will be all right."
00:07:01.28\00:07:03.28
I remember walking
out of his office saying,
00:07:03.32\00:07:06.49
my brethren
English is hard to beat.
00:07:06.52\00:07:08.62
It's hard to be thankful
when you have this trouble.
00:07:08.66\00:07:12.16
So I'm afraid I wasn't
following Peter very well.
00:07:12.19\00:07:15.96
It's like this
trouble came on me
00:07:16.00\00:07:18.43
but I now look
back on that experience.
00:07:18.47\00:07:22.30
And what happened was
because of this experience
00:07:22.34\00:07:25.74
I had to rely on the Brazilians
00:07:25.77\00:07:27.84
completely to help me,
solve all this kinds of problems
00:07:27.88\00:07:32.38
and it bonded
me to those people.
00:07:32.41\00:07:35.18
It bonded me in a
way to those people
00:07:35.22\00:07:37.62
that I would not
have done quickly
00:07:37.65\00:07:41.16
or in the same way if I
had not had that accident.
00:07:41.19\00:07:43.79
Now, the accident wasn't
good but God was able to take
00:07:43.83\00:07:48.23
a terrible thing
and work out of it,
00:07:48.26\00:07:50.73
something that
was good for my life.
00:07:50.77\00:07:52.33
So Peter says,
in this--remember,
00:07:52.37\00:07:54.64
it's this experience
of new birth and new life.
00:07:54.67\00:07:57.31
"In this you achieve to rejoice,
00:07:57.34\00:07:59.41
though now for a little while,
00:07:59.44\00:08:00.88
if necessary,
you have been grieved
00:08:00.91\00:08:03.51
by various
trials and experiences."
00:08:03.55\00:08:07.75
You know, thinking
about your story here,
00:08:07.78\00:08:10.72
it seems that the
Bible is true where it says,
00:08:10.75\00:08:12.59
"That all things were together
for good to them that love God."
00:08:12.62\00:08:16.66
Yes.
00:08:16.69\00:08:18.06
And God had a purpose for
that accident in your life
00:08:18.09\00:08:21.50
and just as Jesus
was talking to His heart,
00:08:21.53\00:08:24.43
God was talking to
your heart, says well,
00:08:24.47\00:08:25.87
let me tell you
what you need to think.
00:08:25.90\00:08:28.57
I'll have to say
that it took some time.
00:08:28.60\00:08:31.77
When you go through trouble
in experiences like this,
00:08:31.81\00:08:35.21
typically, there's quite a fog.
00:08:35.24\00:08:37.35
There's quite a--
it's hard to recognize.
00:08:37.38\00:08:40.28
And if people come to
you at that time and say,
00:08:40.32\00:08:42.18
"It will be
okay. It will be okay."
00:08:42.22\00:08:44.72
You feel like punching them
in the nose maybe, you know.
00:08:44.75\00:08:47.82
That's probably not
what people need to hear
00:08:47.86\00:08:49.79
at the time when
they are suffering,
00:08:49.82\00:08:51.33
they need to hear--sometimes
you just need to be hugged,
00:08:51.36\00:08:55.00
then you be prayed with,
prayed for and people to--
00:08:55.03\00:09:00.74
to lift them up
and care for them.
00:09:00.77\00:09:03.44
But the question
that some people have is,
00:09:03.47\00:09:08.18
you know, is there really
any limit to the suffering
00:09:08.21\00:09:12.75
that I won't go through?
00:09:12.78\00:09:14.38
Does God limit it in some way?
00:09:14.42\00:09:17.42
It's interesting
in our passage here,
00:09:17.45\00:09:18.82
there are three
limits to suffering
00:09:18.85\00:09:21.32
that Peter mentioned.
00:09:21.36\00:09:22.96
Three limits and
they're found here in verse,
00:09:22.99\00:09:28.80
starting in verse 6.
00:09:28.83\00:09:30.20
"In this you rejoice,
though now for a little while,
00:09:30.23\00:09:32.97
" that's the first limit.
00:09:33.00\00:09:34.80
"If necessary, "
that's the second limit.
00:09:34.84\00:09:37.64
"You have been
grieved by various trials,
00:09:37.67\00:09:40.08
so that the tested
genuineness of your faith,
00:09:40.11\00:09:42.54
more precious
than gold that perishes
00:09:42.58\00:09:44.68
though it is tested by fire,
may be found to result in praise
00:09:44.71\00:09:47.68
and glory and
honor at the revelation
00:09:47.72\00:09:49.25
of Jesus Christ" and
that's the third limit,
00:09:49.28\00:09:51.59
there is that the outcome.
00:09:51.62\00:09:53.02
Okay.
00:09:53.05\00:09:54.42
So let's think about
those for a little bit.
00:09:54.46\00:09:56.62
Peter says, "It's
for a little while."
00:09:56.66\00:10:02.76
How long is a little while?
00:10:02.80\00:10:04.90
Now, that's a good question
and when it comes to suffering,
00:10:04.93\00:10:07.40
a little while
is a very long time.
00:10:07.44\00:10:09.37
Yes, it does. It
seems like a very long time.
00:10:09.40\00:10:12.37
And I think what can
help us to get a handle
00:10:12.41\00:10:15.61
on this idea of suffering
being for a little while.
00:10:15.64\00:10:18.81
It's like
children in-- you know,
00:10:18.85\00:10:21.75
when you're
traveling in the car.
00:10:21.78\00:10:23.69
And you get in the
car and your children say,
00:10:23.72\00:10:27.02
"Are we there yet? When
are we gonna get there?"
00:10:27.06\00:10:30.86
And the tried and true response
00:10:30.89\00:10:32.46
of all parents is,
"in a little while."
00:10:32.49\00:10:37.30
You can't say to
the child 3-years-old,
00:10:37.33\00:10:39.63
"Ah, it'll be 45 minutes."
00:10:39.67\00:10:42.44
They don't know
what 45 minutes is,
00:10:42.47\00:10:44.31
you know, so what do you say?
00:10:44.34\00:10:45.97
In a little while,
just little while."
00:10:46.01\00:10:48.74
Now, the real
comfort for the child
00:10:48.78\00:10:52.48
is that their
parents have said this.
00:10:52.51\00:10:54.58
Their parent is in charge
and knows what things you want-
00:10:54.62\00:10:56.58
And they trusted
their parents? Yeah.
00:10:56.62\00:10:58.49
They trust the
parent, "Oh, it just been
00:10:58.52\00:11:00.39
whether they can play
their game again, you know.
00:11:00.42\00:11:02.79
That's just a
little while, you know.
00:11:02.82\00:11:04.76
So our heavenly
parent has said to us,
00:11:04.79\00:11:07.60
"It's just a little while."
00:11:07.60\00:11:09.50
And just like we
trusted our parents
00:11:09.53\00:11:11.70
when we were little
tiny, now we need to trust God.
00:11:11.73\00:11:14.77
The suffering will be
for just a little while.
00:11:14.80\00:11:17.54
Then it also
says, "If it must be--
00:11:17.57\00:11:19.94
" we don't have time to
unpack this a great deal.
00:11:19.97\00:11:23.14
But, God says
things are going to happen,
00:11:23.18\00:11:28.25
if it's necessary, these
things are going to happen.
00:11:28.28\00:11:30.55
He's like forewarned us.
00:11:30.59\00:11:32.05
It's not all the bed of roses
that you're going to go through.
00:11:32.09\00:11:34.79
There're some experiences
00:11:34.82\00:11:36.19
that are gonna come
along, if necessary.
00:11:36.22\00:11:39.76
But the outcome
he says is a tried
00:11:39.79\00:11:42.76
and true character development.
00:11:42.80\00:11:45.90
It's tested by fire
00:11:45.93\00:11:47.50
but it comes out
like gold, you know.
00:11:47.54\00:11:50.07
Gets rid of all the draws
00:11:50.11\00:11:51.57
and leads you in
a wonderful place.
00:11:51.61\00:11:53.74
So there's a
temporal limitation,
00:11:53.78\00:11:57.18
just a little while.
00:11:57.21\00:11:58.78
There's a theological limitation
that which is necessary.
00:11:58.81\00:12:03.18
There's experiential limitation,
that's character development.
00:12:03.22\00:12:07.72
So God is limiting the suffering
00:12:07.76\00:12:09.92
and He says when
all of this takes place,
00:12:09.96\00:12:14.46
He's going to bring
about this wonderful salvation
00:12:14.50\00:12:17.53
of your soul, okay, that's
going to help you in the end.
00:12:17.57\00:12:21.64
Now, I wonder
if there are people
00:12:21.67\00:12:23.87
in our listening
audience that are going--
00:12:23.91\00:12:26.14
I'm sure there are
people who have gone through
00:12:26.17\00:12:28.21
terrible
suffering in their life.
00:12:28.24\00:12:29.71
And may be right now,
you're experiencing something
00:12:29.74\00:12:32.35
in your life that is crushing.
00:12:32.38\00:12:36.05
Recognize,
recognize that God is with you
00:12:36.08\00:12:39.52
through this experience.
00:12:39.55\00:12:41.22
He is not going
to leave you alone.
00:12:41.26\00:12:43.22
He says it's for a little while.
00:12:43.26\00:12:45.73
And He is going
to bring you through
00:12:45.76\00:12:48.30
to a better
experience, something better.
00:12:48.33\00:12:50.97
I know it's a fog
now, but the future,
00:12:51.00\00:12:54.34
the future is much brighter.
00:12:54.37\00:12:55.74
You see, our past is
settled, our future is sure,
00:12:55.77\00:13:00.31
so we can face the
sufferings of the present.
00:13:00.34\00:13:04.58
And Dr. Shepherd, I want to
thank you for your thoughts.
00:13:04.61\00:13:07.78
And also I want to
thank our listening audience
00:13:07.82\00:13:10.52
for joining us in this
very fascinating interesting
00:13:10.55\00:13:13.36
Bible study of
the Books of Peter.
00:13:13.39\00:13:15.52
And I look forward also
00:13:15.56\00:13:16.93
to the incorruptible
treasure that God has for me.
00:13:16.96\00:13:20.10