1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… The greatness of God's mercy is to be seen — I. IN THE GREAT NUMBER OF THE SAVED. II. IN THE GREATNESS OF THE CHANGE which takes place in this great multitude. The very life of God is transmitted to the soul of the believer in regeneration. III. IN THE GREATNESS OF THE INHERITANCE. 1. "Incorruptible." Heaven has in it the power of endless rejuvenation. 2. "Undefiled." Its worth is intrinsic; it does not sometimes go up and sometimes come down; its value is the same the centuries through; it was worth the blood of Christ two thousand years ago, and it is worth the blood today again. 3. "That fadeth not away" — amaranthine, evergreen, always fruitful, always beautiful. No autumn winds strip the trees of their foliage, no winter blasts rob the fields of their verdure. A pamphlet was being lately circulated in this country to persuade English men to emigrate to Texas, and one reason adduced was that the soil being so rich and the climate so equably soft, two harvests could be gathered in one year. A very cogent reason, doubtless, if true. But my text speaks of a better country than Texas — a country which will yield not two crops, but twelve crops in the twelve months (Revelation 22:2). IV. IN THE GREATNESS OF THE EXPENSE to which He went to be able to confer this great inheritance. V. IN THE GREATNESS OF THE POWER that is pledged to bring the great multitude to the possession of the inheritance. (J. C. Jones, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, |
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