I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of 1 Peter. 1 Peter
chapter 4. I'd like to look at verse 8. 1 Peter 4.8. And above all things, have fervent
charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude
of sins. Above all things, that is in
front of everything, have without ceasing, fervent. Charity among yourselves, for
charity shall hide or veil the multitude of sins, that is, the
whole number. Proverbs 10-12 says, hatred stirreth
up strifes, but love covereth all sins. Now, you know if there's
anything that we want to be cautious of right now, in light of that
scripture, is looking at that verse of scripture and thinking
that our love for one another, for the Lord, will atone for
us. That is, will cause there to
be friendship established again. Atonement, that's what. Reconciliation,
friendship. An established relationship before
God again. That our charitable acts will
atone for us. before a just God. That's the very thing that the
Lord warned us from thinking. He said in Matthew 7, many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in your name? Didn't we preach? In thy name done many wonderful
works, then I will profess unto them, I never knew you. I never
knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. So when we read a verse of scripture
and it says that, you know, charity shall cover the multitude of
sins. Don't look at yourself. Don't
look at me. I tell you, it's by the grace
of God that any sinner would be delivered from thinking that
his self-righteous works will answer for him before God. You know, believers do have a
genuine love for one another. That love that overlooks, disregards,
and forgives the failings and frailties of others. But it's not consistent, is it?
I wish it were. I wish it were in me. I wish
I could say I just overlook everything, forgive everything, all the frailty,
people, just, you know. But I'm an utter failure when
it comes to that. Oh, but in our love for one another,
and believers do love one another. Don't think they don't. Believers
love the Lord. That's what Peter said, Lord,
you know all things. You know I love you. But don't
put any confidence in it. That's just a false confidence. But in our admitting of our frailty,
let's look away from ourselves and look to the Lord Jesus Christ
and to His perfect obedience in the consideration of that
scripture right there. Here's what the scripture says,
shall cover the multitude of sins. God is love. God is love. God is love. Charity. Christ shall cover the multitude
of sins. Not us. Not us. Now I want you
to go with me for a few minutes concerning the setting forth
of what this scripture is talking about right here. Overlooking
the frailties, hiding, hiding, covering, the inconsistencies
of the Lord's people. I want you to go with me to the
garden of Gethsemane. Turn with me. to Matthew 26,
and while you turn in there, I'm going to read something out
of Jeremiah 31, reminding us. Matthew 26, and hold your place
right there. Remember the words of God Almighty
to His people. Jeremiah 31, 3. The Lord hath
appeared of old, or that is, from afar unto me, saying, Yea,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Charity covers a multitude
of sins, hides a multitude of sins. I've loved you with an
everlasting love. Love never fails. Love absolutely,
true love. Absolutely consistent, consistent,
consistent. He said, I've loved you with
an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn you. The reason I drew you to myself
The reason I've covered the sins, the reason I've never changed,
because I love you. Jesus, John 13, 1, knew that
His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto
the Father. And having loved His own which
were in the world, He loved them to the end. He loved them to
the end. I want us to look now, Matthew
26. And here's our Lord. And he's
in the garden with his disciples. And the scripture says, in verse
36, Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane,
and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray
yonder. And he took with him Peter and
the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, and he began to be
sorrowful, very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Tarry ye here, and
watch with me. And he went a little further,
fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my father, If it be
possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will,
but as thou wilt. Here's what he said. Here's my
first point. Here's a tender word of instruction. With a tender request. Here's
what the Lord said in verse 38. He said, tarry ye here, and watch with me. I want you to stay, and that
word tarry, stay awake. That's what it means, stay awake.
Now, spiritually, this is the Lord's word to his people. Stay
awake. Spiritually, be vigilant, be
watchful with me. His soul was exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death. And here He is in the garden.
And if He's not already been made sin, He soon shall be made
sin. And He knows it. This is the
cup. Father, if there's any way, this
cup pass from me. That is not to go to the cross,
not to die. That wasn't being made sin. forsaken of the Father. If there's
any way this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will,
but as thou, thy will be done. Judas is going to forsake him,
deny him, turn him over, Going to be taken and mocked and spit
on. But oh, the cup of being made
sin. He who knew no sin. He who was
the only one that ever walked this earth that ever knew really
what sin was. I don't even know what it is.
I don't know what it is. I know something of the effects
of it. I can see something of the presence of it. I don't even
know what it is. But I can tell you whatever it
is, he did, he knew. There's any way. So here he says, Terry, with
me. Stay here, sympathize with me. Unite with me, be in alert. Prepare yourself for approaching
dangers. Look at verse 41. Watch and pray
that you enter not into temptation. Spirit indeed is willing, flesh
is weak. Watch and pray that you don't
enter into the temptation to deny me. Stay awake. Stay awake. What a request from
Him who spoke this world into existence. And oppose all things
by the word of His power. All power given unto Him that
He should give eternal life to as many as the Father has given
Him. All powerful. Here's God Almighty humbling Himself. No man ever
humbled himself but the Lord Jesus Christ. There's not an
ounce of humility in any of us. All of us proud. Boastful. And he humbled himself. Here
is the lowest. Made himself the lowest. He that
is least, he said, in the kingdom of God, that's him. He shall
be the greatest. That's him. Here's what he says. Terry, watch with me. What a tender request from him
who said to his people, he said, I'll never leave you. I'll never
forsake you. Man, a true friend wants to say
that to a friend. I won't leave you. I'll never
forsake you. And I know in me, I don't have
that ability to do that. I know that. Oh, I know this. Without a doubt, He was compassed
with indescribable agony and travail of soul when he was about
to drink the cup of God's wrath being made sin for his people.
Father, if it doesn't have to be this way, nevertheless, not
my will. Well, what a request. Now I want
you to look with me for a minute at a pitiful exhibition of obedience. Pitiful. Pitiful. This is every
one of us now. I mean, we can look at these
disciples and say, I don't see how they could have done it.
I do. I do. Look at verse 40. He cometh unto
the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter,
What? Could you not watch with me one
hour? He cometh unto his disciples,
and listen to the wording, he findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, now what
an earnest appeal. He addresses Peter particularly, and With Peter's rash boasting,
zeal, self-confidence. He had said before, though everybody
else forsake you, I'll die with you. I'll never forsake you. Never. I'll never forsake you.
Well, let's look at that verse of Scripture one more time. He
cometh unto the disciples and find them asleep, and saith unto
Peter, What could you not watch with me one hour? Peter was asleep. He's asleep. And here's the Lord
speaking to him. Speaking to this one that was
so, such a braggart, so bold, so outward in his promise, faithfulness,
And he's asleep, and the Lord's talking to him while he's asleep. But let me ask you this, is this
not the common sin of all God's people in this world? What believer
will not say, as the Shulamite in Song of Solomon 5, 2 and 3,
I sleep, but my heart waketh? It's the voice of my beloved
that knocketh, saying open to me, my sister, my love, my dove,
my undefiled, for my head is filled with you and my locks
with the drop of the night. And here's what the church says. Well, I've put off my coat. How
shall I put it on? I've washed my feet. How shall
I defile them? Is that not the most embarrassing
thing to have to admit? Here's the church. Here's what she says. I sleep,
but my heart is awake. Pity the man that thinks himself
to be able to stay faithful, to possess and to exercise fervent,
unceasing charity. Every believer is going to say, I've never been faithful one
hour. No, not even from the time that I was converted. I've never
been faithful one hour. Not with an unceasing, unchanging,
immovable charity. No. But in the very hour of their
failure, and here's my third and last point, behold the blessed
exhibition of His love. That appeal, watch with me. Stay awake, stay awake. That pitiful exhibition, secondly,
of our faithfulness. But that indescribable exhibition
of his love for his people. He said, I won't forsake you.
I won't forsake you. Hear the words of love and tenderness
from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 42, 43. He went away again the second
time and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may pass
away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. He came
and found them asleep again. Doesn't necessarily say they
woke up, he just came and found them again asleep. Their eyes were heavy. He left
them, went away again, prayed the third time, saying the same
words. Then cometh he to his disciples
and saith unto them, Sleep on now. and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Verse 45, Then cometh He to His
disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now. I looked up that
word, sleep, there And it actually means two different things. And I can see both things in
a believer. It means a natural sleep. Go
to sleep. I mean, you're asleep. Just naturally
speaking. But here's the second thing it
means. To be indifferent to salvation. to be indifferent to salvation. Hold your place right there and
look at 1 Thessalonians 5, 6. 1 Thessalonians 5, 6. I know a believer will say, oh,
I would never, no. No, I would never be indifferent
to my salvation. Oh, really? I would never show
any inconsistencies concerning my salvation. I would never look
at my salvation as being something that I don't give total, absolute
attention to. I've never been indifferent.
Oh, really? 1 Thessalonians 5, 6. Therefore, let us... Now, do
you realize who Paul is talking to when he says, us? He's talking
to believers. Therefore, let us not sleep as
do others, but let us watch and be sober. Don't, don't, don't,
don't let ourselves become indifferent. Others do. Don't do that. He
would have never told us not to do it if the propensity was
not there. What did the Shulamite say? I sleep, but my heart's awake. And I know, I think of the frailty
of my flesh that looks at me and says, Lord, forgive me for
my indifference. I wish I could say, that I have
never deviated in my thankfulness, appreciation, confidence, but
I have. I have. Then the Lord spoke to him. Verse 46, rise. Let us be going. Behold, he is
at hand that doth betray me. Here's the shepherd who has said, sleep on, verse 45, and take
your rest. You rest in me. Don't rest in
yourself. He had asked them to just stay
awake with him. Stay awake and watch. And they
went to sleep. He spoke to Peter while Peter
was asleep. Then he told him, he said, take
your rest. rest in the Savior with a patient expectation. And lastly, after his betrayal
and the pitiful trial before Pilate that he willingly endured,
he went to the cross. And even at the cross, this is
what he prayed, not for everybody, but for those that were there
that knew him and would know him. There were some that were
there. Here was his prayer. Father,
forgive them. They don't know what they're
doing. They do not know what they're doing. Job 15. Job 15. Verses 14-16. What is man that he should be
clean? And he that is born of a woman,
that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in
his saints. Yea, the heavens are not clean
in his sight. How much more abominable and
filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? I'm here to tell you, there's
not one thing that we can say about ourselves
that has any merit. Paul says, I see in me that is
in my flesh there dwells no good thing. Here is the Lord Jesus
Christ who prays for His own, who loved Him to the end, who
knows that we are dust. Praise and honor and glory unto
Him who is worthy, unto him whose charity for his people has covered
a multitude of sins. Lord, may I be found in that
number. And may I say once again, salvation
is of the Lord. It's by the grace of God that
we know anything. Bless the word to our heart.
Amen. Let's take about 10 minutes break.