2 Peter 1. Now go back there with me. 2 Peter chapter 1. I've preached this and I've heard this preached many times. It's like precious faith and it's always a blessing to think on. Faith is just another word for eternal life. Faith begins when life begins. Eternal life. A new birth. Faith is the life of God in the soul of a human being. Faith is the new birth. Faith is a new heart, a new mind, a new spirit. A man, a woman, a young person is just a soul and is given a spirit. They're dead, they're given life, a spiritual being, a new person. Faith is this new life. Faith is a union with the Lord. It's a union, communion, a walk with. God. You never walked with Him before. You do now. You didn't know Him. You were dead. So this faith is a union with God, with Christ. Faith is a knowledge of who God is, a knowledge of who Christ is, a knowledge of what you are, what salvation is, what sin is. The Kingdom of God. Trust. Faith is trust in God. You believe God. All your trust is in Him. You believe Christ. Faith is a miracle. Faith is not an act of man's will. It's an act of God's will. Faith is not man's decision. It's a decision God made before the world began to give this precious gift of faith to some, yea, many. Not all, but many.

Faith. Verse 2 and 3 says, Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." And it goes on, verse 3, "...the knowledge of Him that hath called us to or by glory and virtue." Now, John 17, 3, we quote this quite often. Our Lord said, this is life eternal. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ said. This is what it means to have eternal life. that they might know Thee, the only true God. There are many conceptions of God. There are so many religions. Even so-called Christianity has thousands of denominations. Well, that's just not so in the Scripture. There's one faith, one God. You know, this is life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God. Faith is to know the true God, the living God. And Jesus Christ, whom God sent. That that man that walked this earth 2,000 years ago is the God-man. God manifests in the flesh. that God sent him to do a work, not try, but to do a work to save his people. This is, our Lord said, this is life eternal. There was a time when, as I said in my prayer, many in this room, I look around this room, and I've had the privilege of witnessing the Lord give life to so many in here. What a blessing. He didn't have that before. He didn't have that life. He didn't have that knowledge of God. He didn't care. Like me, your preacher. was given life through the preaching of this gospel. Precious. It's a precious gift.

So we're not talking about mental agreement to doctrine or facts. We're not just talking about doctrine or correct, you know, some kind of statement of faith. We're talking about life. Life begins in simultaneous. Which comes first, life or faith? Well, life. When you were born the first time, which came first, life or your realization of it? Well, you know, baby's born and they don't know when it happened, but they've given life.

And like that man who was born blind and the Lord opened his eyes and he didn't see very clearly, but he saw something. And then the Lord washed his eyes again, and he saw clearly. That's life, like a little baby born. You see for the first time. God who created this world, and God who provides all things, and God, Christ, whom all these things represent, you start to see. And you hear the Word of God, whereas before, You had no interest. You were deaf, dumb, and blind, and lame, and dead. But God gave you this gift of faith.

Life is what it is. It's a miracle. It's not according to man's will and choice or intellect, but it's according, Scripture says, according to the working of His mighty power. It says in Ephesians 2a, by grace are you saved, the gift of God, salvation, through faith. And that's a gift. It's not of yourselves. It's of God, born of God.

What I hope we'll see this morning is if you have this faith, what a precious, precious gift you've been given. Nothing more valuable. Precious means valuable, means vital, it means sweet and savory. The sweet and savory that is Christ and the Gospel. There was a time you had no tastes, no taste for Him. But this is to you who have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Is there anyone or anything sweet or precious to you? You southern ladies like to use that term. Ain't she precious? Like, bless your hearts. Well, there are things and people that are precious to you, like a newborn baby. Are those little granddaughters precious to you? Oh, my. You like the way they look. You like the smell, don't you? And then they get older and they don't smell so much. But they're still yours, and you love them. They're precious to you. And our Lord calls this faith precious. Precious.

1 Peter 1. Look back over there. 1 Peter 1. This is not just similar, it's the same. Peter doesn't have anything new to tell us. Look at the first letter. 1 Peter 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Are you there? Apostle Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, Rocky Mount. Yeah, yeah, we're there. That is, strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Not strangers to the truth, but strangers to the world now. You once were in the world, now you're not of the world. You're a stranger even to yourself. The gospel you believe, the God you believe, The doctrine you believe is strange to the world. It's becoming stranger and stranger as the world gets more perverse.

Elect. That's why you're a believer. You're elect according to the foreknowledge or love of God the Father through sanctification of spirit and obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. You are a recipient of what Jesus Christ came to do for his people. Grace unto you and peace. You see that? Multiply. Oh, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's all according to. How many times it uses that word? It's all according to God. It's not according to you. It's not dependent on you. It's not conditioned on you. It's Him. It's according to Him.

Read on. According to His abundant mercy, He's begotten us again, born again unto a living or lively hope A living faith by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Read on. To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. We're going to look at that in a minute. You're going to be blessed. You who are kept by the power of God through faith. Kept by His almighty power. Kept by His word of His power. Kept by His gospel. Kept by Christ. Spirit of Christ. Through faith. He's given you this faith. It's life, and the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. He's not going to take it back. I give unto them eternal life, and it never perishes. If you have this gift of life, you never lose it. It's eternal.

Unto salvation, read on, ready to be revealed. This whole thing is getting ready to be revealed. The glorious manifestation of the sons of God. I had no liberty last Wednesday night on that measure. I'm having it now. These things are coming to me. This is wonderful. This is glorious. This thing is ready to be revealed. Our Lord is getting ready to be revealed in flaming fire. He's already revealed Himself to us. What a precious gift this is. Rare. It's hard to find these days. It's valuable. How valuable? It's life.

Wherein, verse 6, you greatly rejoice. Don't you rejoice in this gospel? Are you rejoicing in what you're hearing right now? Though for a season, if need be, you're in heaviness through manifold or many trials, temptations, if need be. You remember it being said that if it be, whatever it be, if it be, it need be. Or it would not be. Because all things work together according to God's purpose. For good to them that are called by this Gospel. If it be. And it need be. Trials. You must, through must-tripulation, enter the kingdom of heaven.

Read on. But the trial of your faith being much more precious. You see there? It's saying he's writing the same thing. He's writing another letter. Go back to our tape. He's writing another letter and it's the same. We got nothing else to talk about. We got nothing else to give you. Who was it? Was it Peter and James, John went to the temple at a gate called Beautiful, and that man was going to get one of the handouts, and Peter said, we don't have any money, but what we have we'll give you. In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk. Boy, that man, he's sure glad he got this precious gift of life and faith, not money.

So back in our text here, this faith, look at it word for word. I wanted to go through the first eight verses, but I didn't get hardly past the first one. That's all right. Let's talk about this precious gift.

Simon Peter, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. Simon. He uses his name that he was born with. Simon. And that's what the Lord called him all his life on this earth. The Lord called him Simon. Didn't He? He never called him Peter. He changed his name to Peter, but he called him Simon, didn't he? If you're familiar with Scripture, you'll know that.

Simon Bar-Jonas. He said that Simon Bar-Jonas, son of Jonas, that's his father, meaning that Simon Peter was just another son of Adam, just another son of his father, just a sinner born in this world like everybody else. And the Lord kept reminding him of that. He said, you didn't choose me, I chose you, Simon Bar-Jonas. And you are a son of your father, aren't you? A sinner. What makes you different than anybody else? Grace. He'd been given this precious gift. He didn't give it to everybody.

The Lord reminded him and Simon claims his name and where he came from. Simon never forgot where he came from. He never got over it. And may we never get over it. Here we sit. There was a time you would not be sitting here. You would not were it not for this precious gift.

Simon Bar-Jonas. He reminds him and he reminds us that we're just another son of Adam. There are eight billion on this earth, sinners, none of them worth saving. You know what I'm going to say next? About God. Salvation has been great.

Just another son of Adam, a sinner saved by grace, called, chosen, elect according to the foreknowledge of God. Oh, blessed be God. According to His chosenness in Christ before the foundation of the world. Given us to Him. Sent Christ to do all His work. What a precious, precious gift. There's nothing more precious. To you who believe, He is precious.

Simon, a sinful, simple, blind, haught, lame, lost, dead, without God, without hope, without Christ in this world. That was you, and such were some of you. But God. Simon, Kelly, Mike, Helen, Karen, John. Joseph, John, I keep looking around this room, but people have received this precious gift. Ed, Jeanette, you're still here. Why? Because you're kept by the power of God. You don't keep yourself. Blessed be His holy name.

Those of us that are older than the rest, we ought to be singing louder than anybody in here. Patrick, do you have any siblings? Do you have any family? that don't believe this gospel, that don't believe this God, don't believe Christ, yet you do. They hate it, you love it. Wow! You've been given this precious gift. Precious, precious, precious.

Oh, the Lord chose Simon, called Simon from the seashore to Canaan's fair and happy shore. Called him from fishing to following Jesus Christ. Like old Levi the publican, Matthew, sitting there counting his money, looking down, looking down, counting his money, counting his money. But Christ came calling. Called him. Matthew never looked up until Christ spoke to him and he looked at him. And he dropped everything and followed Christ all the way into glory. That's where he is right now, singing of his Redeemer and his wonderful love to him.

Peter. Simon Peter. He changed his name. The Lord changed his name from Simon to Peter. Come on now. Get with me. He changed his name from sinner to saint. Oh, he never got over it. Like Jacob, he changed his name from Jacob to Israel, a prince with God. I don't believe Jacob ever could get used to that name. Do you? Simon Peter. Simon Peter. I'm just Simon, but God. Christ has called me Peter. What's that mean? Rock. From a dead center to a living stone. From a wandering lost sheep to a grounded, settled, fixed on Christ the solid rock believer.

The Lord one time said to many people that left him, will you leave? He said to those that were left, He said, will you also go away? And Simon Peter said, to whom? Where are we going to go? This is words of life. You're our life. We're not going anywhere. Blessed art thou, Simon, by God. You're so blessed. You've been given this gift of faith. May it never be taken from you.

Mary, chosen by God, chose the best part. And he said, it'll never be taken from her. Precious gift. See what a gift faith is. It's not an act of your will, it's an act of God's will. It's not you didn't decide this, God decided it long ago. Give you something very precious, more precious than gold, that would be tried with fire. And that's how you know it's real.

From Simon to Peter, a servant, verse 1, a servant an apostle of Jesus Christ, a servant of Christ, once serving self, now serving Christ. Isn't that you? Serving sin and self and living for it. We all had our conversation fulfilling the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desire of the flesh and the mind. We are by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God quickened us. Oh, it's by grace, you see. Serving self, now serving Christ, once a servant of sin, now a servant of the Savior. Servant, a lowly subject of the Master, a table waiter, a doorkeeper. Everybody wants to be something, not God's people. David was a king. He said, I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God. A servant of the Most High God than to be served by people. Than to live in the tents of the wicked. Would you? Well, you're here, aren't you?

Verse 1, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Not the apostle. An Apostle. There were twelve. Actually, there were a few more than that. Barnabas was called an Apostle. But an Apostle. Peter is not lifting himself up. I'm the Apostle. I'm the Pope. No, sir. No, sir. He knew that.

Right after the Lord said, Thou art Peter, upon this rock I will build my church. Meaning, his confession of faith in Christ is a solid rock. He said, I'm going to build my church. Right after that, Peter rebuked the Lord, and the Lord said, get behind me, Satan. Oh no, this church is not built on Peter, it's built on Christ.

He said, I'm an apostle. Apostle means messenger of Jesus Christ. Christ is the one who chose the apostles and sent them out. He said, go into all the world and preach the gospel. What is the gospel? It ain't a what? It's a person. It's the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ crucified, sent by God, covenant head, to be the righteousness of His people. to be the atonement, to be the burnt offering, to be the sacrifice for sin unto God, be made sin, to give us His righteousness and Him take our sin in His body on the tree, on the cross, and pay the sins of all of God's people. Not everybody, but His people. All the sins of all of His people for all time and eternity, put away forever, one way, by the blood of Jesus Christ.

And they're righteous, holy, unblameable, unreprovable, accepted in the Beloved. One way. Not in themselves, but in Christ and Him crucified. That's the gospel. It's the person and work of Jesus Christ. That's the message that messengers are sent to preach. If they don't preach that message, God didn't send them. That's the message. Christ called and sent them to preach the gospel.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. That's what he said. Go into all the world. And they did. And we preach the same gospel. We're messengers. And Christ is the message. You see that? An apostle. I'm not an apostle, but I am a messenger. And I've got one message. You're the witness of that. You testified of that. Do I preach Christ? Do you believe Christ? This is the message.

Remember tidings of the sun? You remember those two? One wanted to run and one was called and sent. What was his message? Tidings of the sun. It's what God demands to hear, what sinners need to hear. It's what true preachers are sent to say. They've got nothing else to say. Paul said, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. A servant, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Sent by Him, called by Him, and He's the message. Glad tidings of great joy. Oh, my.

To them, verse 1, you're going to like this. To them that have obtained like precious faith. Who is this them? You need to learn a little bit about English grammar in order to understand the truth. You know that? There's us, we, them, they, I, me, my, him, his. Pronouns, personal pronouns, second person, third person. Do you know anything about English grammar? No? I'm going to teach you. Alright, them. Who's them? When you write a letter to somebody, do you address it? Huh? Or do you just write a letter? And just put it in the mail and hope it goes where you want it? Neither does God. He addresses it. To them that have obtained like precious faith, that's them. To them who are in Christ, chosen in Him, redeemed by Him, have this precious faith in Him.

To them, look at John 17. John 17. All through Christ's prayer, He prays for them, His people. Oh, I love this. Love, love, love, love this. You do too. John 17, look at verse 1. These words spake Jesus, lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. That's what this gospel is all about, people. That's what salvation is about. That's why we're here this morning, to glorify Him. That's why I preach, to glorify Him. That's why you're saved, to glorify Him. To the praise of the glory of His grace. Are you with me? Come on, I can't preach this by myself. Come on.

Verse 2, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, this is Jesus Christ of Scripture, with all power over all flesh. This is a true Christ. You know Him, don't you? And He gives eternal life to as many as God gave Him. Not as many as accept Him. That's not in the Bible. It's His to give to whomever God gave to Him. When did He give them to Him? Before the world began. He said, My sheep, you gave them to Me. And they're going to hear, I know them. And they know Me because they're going to hear My voice and they're going to follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life and they'll perish. Them! Not goats. Them!

Verse 3, This is life eternal, that they might know Thee. Who? Those given to Him. The only true God in Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. Look at verse 6, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me. And they have kept thy word." Why? Because he kept them. Them. Look at verse 8. I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee. And they have believed that thou didst send me." Verse 9, I pray for them. I pray not for the world. Are you reading that? But for them. Did you read Thomas Brooks' quotes there? Aren't they wonderful? It's all about Christ. He said, Our prayers are heard not because of us, but because of Christ. He ever lives to make intercession for us. Them. I pray for them.

Verse 10, All mine are thine, thine are mine. I am glorified in them. To them. Are you learning something about English grammar? I'm just looking at you, Sally, because I like to look at you. You've got more education than I do. You know these pronouns and these terms, don't you, huh? I want everybody in here to know there's a difference between those that belong to Christ and those that don't. He calls them his people, his sheep, his believers, given this precious faith, not the world. Look at verse 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name, those that thou gavest me. None of them is lost. Aren't you loving this word? Them? Are you one of them? Do you see what a precious gift? If you have this faith, you've been given to Christ by God the Father. And he keeps that which God has given him. He won't lose. He said, of all you've given me, I've lost nothing. Oh man, this is the greatest thing I've ever heard. Isn't it you? Look, there's so much more. We could keep reading this. It's them, them, them, them, them. Go back to our text. So it's them that have obtained like precious faith. Are you one of them? Would you like to be?

The Lord has to give you the wannabe. I have obtained. Now the word obtained is received. I need another empty glass. You know the difference between accept and receive, don't you? You receive mercy and accept it. You received it. You were an empty vessel. Empty, empty, empty. You're dead, a vessel. You're a recipient of God's grace. And God, of His fullness, have you received the Gospel, which is Christ Himself. He poured Christ in you, the hope of the Lord. Faith in Christ. Obtained, that's what it means. Obtained means received. Obtained means by lot. Lot is something you choose. You know, there's a lottery. Lottery, that's where the word comes from. It comes from the word lots, okay? Chosen. There's a big whatever, a hat, a ball, a big... And somebody reaches in there and draws out, draws out a name or a number, don't they? Okay? And calls that name and that number. It's not up to the... in the big bag of lots or whatever it is. It's not up to them. It's not their choice. It's the one who... And the Scripture says, the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

Drawn out, Brother David Pledger... I've got to tell this. It's wonderful. No, I'll tell it later. But anyway, I don't have time. But anyway, you've been drawn out by the hand of God, plucked as a bran, plucked as a bran from the burning, chosen by God out of this mass. You've won the lottery. You win Christ. and get to be found in Him and He in you. You have nothing to do with it. David said this, he said, David said, the Lord is my portion, my inheritance, my cup, and thou maintainest my lot. He said, the Lord is my portion. The Lord gave me to Him, to Christ. Peter said this, an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God." Chosen by His power and kept by His power. Obtained. Not attain. Something you do. You've obtained. You've received. The lot. An inheritance. You've been given a place. A seat in glory. To behold His glory. To sing of His glory. You have been allotted a seat in glory with Him. To behold His glory. To sing of His glory.

Do you like to sing these songs? Do you like to sing the songs of Zion? Now this is a miracle. I have loved music all my life. And some of it you couldn't call music. I've loved music all my life, all kinds, and my great Sophie came out of the womb singing. It's just in her, and it was in me too, and I love it, I love it. Well, these songs of Zion didn't interest me in my teen years and my wild years. It did not interest me. I was done with that. I was forced to sing those songs. And yea, I did. God did give me something of a like for that early on. I remember certain songs appealing to me. But it was more the tune than the message. It was. Nevertheless, God in mercy and grace put these songs in my heart, in my mind, I never could get rid of. You know, they're songs you learn and later on they come to mind and evoke so many memories and thoughts. Music is that powerful.

Well, if our children grow up singing and hearing these songs, they have to sing them. They should. I was made to sing them. Good! Because when the time came, God spoke to me, these songs of Zachary flooding my heart. They flooded my heart. And it began to root out this other stuff. And now there's nothing I'd rather sing.

And now we are accorded a place in glory, a seat in glory, a seat in the choir. Do you love to hear it? Do you love to sing these songs? Well, you've got a seat waiting on you. Some of you can't sing. I've heard you. But that's all right. You can make a beautiful noise, can't you? I remind you that the most beautiful singing on earth, Luciano Pavarotti, is noise to God's ears. But that child of God who can't carry a tune, so to speak, in a bucket, if he's singing and praising God Almighty, the angels stop and listen. I'm not making this up. That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination to God. That which is an abomination to men is highly esteemed to God. I'm telling you the truth. You can't sing? Yes, you can. True singing is from the heart. It's not whether or not you can sound beautiful to men. You sing from the heart. I look forward to it.

Barnard told a story one time. He had a dream and he loved to sing. Barnard loved to sing and I remember him singing as a boy. And I loved to hear him sing, although he couldn't sing too well. But it made an impression on me. That old, old man. He was in his forties. He was old to me and he'd sing, I was once far away from the Savior. And as blind as a sinner could be. Boy, I loved hearing him sing.

The other man, there's another man called Hillman Bernard. He had snow white hair. And he sang 10,000 angels. He could have called 10,000. It touched my heart as a boy. I remember thinking, boy, I'd like to sing like that. I'm going to. I'm going to. Oh, he puts his song.

But Barnard said he had a dream. saw this heavenly choir, a number which no man could number, a sea of faces singing. He says, the most beautiful, like Paul, I heard things, can't put into words, I heard things. And Barnabas said, I heard this glorious choir, all these faces, these people singing, it's more beautiful than anything I ever heard. He said, oh, I'd like to sing. I'd like to be a part of that, just sing of my Savior. He said, look, there was a sea, an empty sea right up there. He said, I'm going to make my way up there. And he made his way up there and he, excuse me, excuse me, he went over there and he finally got to that sea and he looked and he said, Rolf Barnard. That's just a dream, but this ain't no dream. Christ said, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may be also. Father, I will that they be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory and sing of my glory. You're going to sing one of these days. Oh, you're going to sing with a perfect heart, with a perfect voice. Because you've obtained this precious gift called faith.

obtained like, same, the exact same faith. God's people believe exactly the same. No, no, they're not different conceptions of God. We all believe the same God. One God. One God. One God is one father of God's elect. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, that is one confession. One body, one spirit, one hope of your calling. You call Him, He calls you. He calls you. Hope. One faith. One Lord, one faith. One God, the Father of you all. Above all, through all, and in you all. And Christ is one. Not different. One. Like. The faith of God's elect. Faith delivered to the saints, given as a precious gift. They all know the God of the Bible. They all know the Christ of Scripture. They know who God is. They know who Christ is. They know what they are. They know what salvation is. Them. Are you one of them?

Through the righteousness, and I close, they've obtained, they've been given, it's been their lot. He has chosen for them to be given this precious gift of faith, which is life, through the righteousness of God, our Savior, and our Savior Jesus Christ. And the margin reads, our God and Savior. Doesn't it? We don't just believe Christ is God. We know He is. You know, don't argue with anybody. Don't argue with anybody. When God gives them this gift, they'll know. They'll know. It's useless for you to argue. And we don't plead with and try to get people to believe anything. We just declare and hope God the Spirit will make Himself known. And He does. Through the righteousness, that word, I could preach another hour. Isn't that what He said in 1 Peter 2? the obtaining of the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ, the righteousness and shed blood of God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are given this gift because Christ is that unspeakable gift, given by God as the sense of satisfaction, covenant head, the Savior of His people. He is God our Savior. Amen? You've got a precious gift.

Okay, let's sing in closing number