Let's begin reading there at
verse number 1 through verse number 10, I believe. Simon Peter, servant. All of God's children are servants. A servant is one who serves.
Is that not right? You have a servant. He or she does your bidding. He or she is one who serves Simon
Peter under the divine influence of the Holy Spirit who had Peter
in his possession, so moved on him to describe himself in this
fashion. Simon Peter, a servant. Now, probably you and I, if we
were describing ourselves, we would probably say, so-and-so,
a child of God, by faith in Christ Jesus, which is fine, and that
would be certainly right and a good testimony. To me, this
is much stronger here. Simon Peter, a servant, one who
serves. Who did they serve? They served
God. He was God's servant. Was it
a part-time activity? No, it was full-time. He served God all the time. Simon
Peter did from the time that his eyes was opened unto himself,
from the time that he seen the frailty of his own flesh, and
denied his Lord, and cursed, and went out into the night,
and wept bitterly." From that time until Simon Peter passed
from this world, he was a servant of God. That's the way it ought
to be, both of us. Simon Peter, a servant, one who
served, Not only was he a servant, but he was an apostle. That is,
he was sent of God, or sent from God, an apostle of Jesus Christ. He is a servant of Jesus Christ
and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained life,
gracious faith with us through the righteousness of God and
our Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied
unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. I want to get down to the tenth
verse, so I'm not going to stop too many times here, but it's so evident, this second
verse here, solve a lot of problems for the
people of God if they could lay hold of what he's talking about
here. Grace and peace. Peace of heart, peace of mind.
Boy, that's a choice gem to have a peace of mind and peace of
heart in the midst of difficulties, in the midst of heartbreaks.
When you think that your heart is going to be rendered in two, when anxieties, frustrations,
fears without and fears within almost overwhelm a person, there is the possibility
of a peace that we can rest in or fall back into, knowing that
regardless of what happens, if the stars fall, if the heavens
fall, if the moon falls, if the sun is rocked out of its place, We know that we're in the hands,
as our brother said when he prayed, we're in the hands of him who
is mighty to save and who cannot fail in his intentions or purposes
for us. That peace comes, Al, through
a shallow understanding of the scriptures. Certainly not. Certainly
not. There must be a deep acquaintance
with God. Let me read something to you
here, hurriedly, in the book of Philippians, chapter 3. Chapter 3. Turn with me there,
if you will. And let me read this second verse
again now in Peter. Grace and peace be multiplied
unto you. How? How will this come about,
this multiplication of the peace of God and the grace of God? How does it come about? The Scriptures
say here now, very plain, if anyone can see this, they don't
have to be a preacher to pull this from the Scriptures. multiplied
unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
It doesn't come through a superficial head knowledge, but it comes
from a deep and abiding search of the Scriptures. It comes from
knowing him. We know him. We know him not
only as our Lord, our Redeemer, but we continue to seek and to
search and to know him throughout the balance of our days. We continue
seeking to know him. And this is eternal life that
you might know him. Not a once and for all shot,
but it's a continual knowing, a continual growing. That's the
reason the scriptures talk so much about growing in the grace
of God in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because
it's through the process of growing and understanding that the peace
of God is settled in our hearts and our minds and we can undergo.
A brother was talking there prior to the service about what would
it be like to be a burn for your testimony, for your confidence
and belief in the Lord Jesus. What if they grabbed you up and
said, now listen, you renounce that now. You're just going to
have to renounce what you believe. And if you don't do it, we're
just going to take you out there and we're going to tie you up
to a pole and throw some wood around you and throw some gasoline
on you and burn you out. Now, you've got the choice here.
renounce what you believe, we're going to burn him. Now what are
you going to do? Now what would you do? What would
you do? Would you say, well, goodbye
Jesus? A lot of people would. A lot
of people would say, well, goodbye Jesus. I love this world too
much to die right now. See? Boy, if we don't have this deep
abiding, settled, peace, and the grace of God in our hearts,
and it comes through knowing, it comes through acquaintance,
it comes through knowledge. If we don't have it, if we don't
have it, in all probability, we'd say goodbye to Jesus. It's
too much for me. This is where we part. You've
been good to me all these years, but I'm not ready for this. All
right, let's turn to that third chapter of the book of Philippians
here. Listen to this. Now, I preached on this one time,
and I said that in this third chapter, it tells of the standing
of a Christian, it tells of the object of a Christian, and it
tells of the hope of a Christian. Now, the standing of a Christian
is found in verse number 9, which says, and to be found in him. That's the Christian standing.
Now, the object of the Christian is found in verse number 10. Now, you underscore that. Verse
number 10 is the object of every Christian. Every Christian has
this object. And what is that object? That
I may know him. That's the object of a Christian.
I'm not talking about being saved in this 10th verse. You're being
saved in the 9th verse. Be found in him. Not found in
your own righteousness, which is of the law, but being found
in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's our standing. What was
that song we sang here? Apiah? What was it called? Under his wings, that's what
he's talking about, under his wings, found in Christ, now the
object of every Christian then is to what? That I may know him,
may know him. How do I know him? I know him
through making use of every available means of grace that's afforded
me in this life, whether it be to hear the public preacher,
whether it be in private devotions or wherever the opportunity might
arise, I avail myself to that opportunity through prayer, through
Bible reading, through study of good books, through prayer,
through being at the church services. That's avail yourself. Avail
yourself. Thou might know it. I know that
God is pleased to use these opportunities to increase our understanding
and our heart knowledge of him and his son. That's the object
of every Christian. Now, you can't find a Christian
in the Bible, no matter who it was, that it wasn't his object
to know Jesus Christ. that I may know him and the power
of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering,
and being made confirmable unto his death. That's the object.
All right. Through the knowledge of God
and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given
unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue,
whereby are given unto us." Given unto who? The children of God,
those that are found in him, those who have him as their object.
"...whereby are given unto us." exceeding not just great and
precious promises, but exceeding great and precious promises,
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And
besides this, giving all diligence add to your faith virtue, and
to virtue knowledge. and to knowledge, temperance,
and to temperance, patience, and to patience, godliness, and
to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you
and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he
that lacketh these things," listen to this now, "...he that lacketh
these things is blind, and he cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his old sin. Wherefore the
rather beloved brethren," or, "...wherefore the rather brethren,
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye
do these things, ye shall never fall." Now, that tenth verse says, or
the ninth verse says, "...he that liketh these things," that
I read to you, seven or eight virtues there, fruits of the
Spirit, "...he that liketh these things," he said, is blind and
cannot see afar off and has forgotten." Now, I know that normally we
would say that these people were never saved, that the fellow
that lacks these things and is blind and cannot see afar off
and has forgotten that he was birthed from his old sins, we
classify that person in that ninth verse as being a lost person,
just a religious person, who, due to some emotional upheaval
in his soul, made some sort of a decision or profession that
wasn't genuine. Now, that's what we're probably
saying. That's probably right, I suppose. I'm not trying to interpret this
verse of Scripture. That's what I'm getting at. I'm
not trying to put an interpretation on it. I just want to mention
the latter part of that ninth verse there that says, "...hath
forgotten." This fellow has forgotten that he was purged from his old
sin. He's forgotten. Now, whether
he's talking about a Christian or not, is not the issue with me here
this evening and what I'm trying to get across. The issue with
me this evening from this verse is that there's many people who
have forgotten God. They've forgotten God. Now, that's a terrible crime,
isn't it? That's a terrible, terrible,
terrible crime to be charged with. that you've forgotten God. God charges people with that.
He charged Israel with that. Let me see if I can find that
real quick. Somewhere here in the book of
Isaiah. Let me see if I can find it. Maybe in the first chapter.
I don't know. I'd like to... Yes. First chapter of the book of
Isaiah. It says, hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the
Lord hath spoken. I have nourished and brought
up children, and they have rebelled against me." That's the second
verse. He said, I have brought up children,
and they have rebelled against me. Well, that describes every
one of us. That describes us prior to our
conversion, and that describes a whole lot of us after our conversion.
I have brought up children. I have nourished and brought
up children. They have rebelled against me. Rebelled against
me. I brought them up and I nourished
them. Listen to this. It says, The
ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel
doth not know, my people doth not consider, a sinful nation. a people laden with iniquity,
a seed of evildoers, children that are corruptors. They have
forsaken the Lord. They have provoked the Holy One
of Israel unto anger. They are gone away backwards,
and so forth. He charged them with forgetting
him. My people have not considered
me. They have forgotten me. What I'm saying is, the table
thing, for human flesh to forget God. But if you're a Christian,
you and I are Christians this evening. If we're really Christians,
then we're not phonies. If we're not phonies. I trust that we're not counterfeit.
We're not phonies. If we are, we'll be seen through
sooner or later. We're phonies. I trust that our
hearts are right with God, our hearts are right with His Son,
and truly we haven't been deceived. Well,
if that be so, and I have no reason to think it's not, well,
then you turn with me to Isaiah chapter 44. Isaiah chapter 44. And I want to read a verse of
Scripture to you. That'll thrill your heart. That'll encourage
you. And if this doesn't make your
day, your day can't be made. Isaiah chapter 44 and verse 21. Now, you remember I said, I said that there's a whole lot of people
that have forgotten God. This 21st verse says, "...remember
these, O Jacob in Israel, for thou art my servant." Servant is one who serves. Now
listen, "...for thou art my servant. I have formed thee. Thou art
my servant, O Israel." Now listen to this, "...thou shalt not be
forgotten of me." That will make your day when you think about
that. What am I saying now? I'm saying that our God cannot
so forget his servants as to seize to love them. He cannot forget his servants
as to seize to love his people. He says, Thou art my servant,
O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. We might forget him. We might forget him. That's possible. The scriptures say it's possible.
It says that a woman, she may abandon and forget her suckling
child. A mother might do that. A father
may forget his offspring. He may do it. Not considering.
But the scripture says God will not forget. He'll not forget
his people. That's what he says here. Our
God cannot so forget his servants as to cease to love them. Now
listen to this. He chose them not for a time,
but he chose them forever. Forever. not for a time, but
forever. Listen, I have brought it out
as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins return
unto me, for I have redeemed thee." Well, he said he chose
them not for time, but he chose them forever. He knew what they
would be when he called them into his family. He blocks out their sins like
a cloud, and we can be sure that he will not turn them out of
doors for iniquities that he's already blocked out. He will not forget them so as
to cease to think of them. Can you lay hold of that this
evening? That the God of glory is so great that the heavens
can't contain him? Our minds cannot enter into one
thousand parts. of the greatness, the power,
the wisdom, the glory, the love, the gentleness, the kindness,
the mercy of God. And yet he will not forget them
so as to cease to even think about it. He doesn't cease to
think about it. He thinks about his people. God
does. He will not forget it. He says,
Thou art my servant, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. That brings about a terrible
response, doesn't it? In a sense, when we think how
we've been so unfaithful, we've been so unfaithful. Delivereth
many times in our unfaithfulness, and all of this time, God, like
the rock of ages, says, I'll not forget you. I'll not forget
you so as to cease to think of you. I won't even block you out
of my mind. I'll always think of you and
be concerned with you and so forth. You see, one forgetful moment on the part
of God Almighty would be our eternal ruin. Did you know that?
Just one moment, if God would relax and say, well, I forgot
about, and I will forget about my people, that one moment would
be our damnation and our ruin. Just one moment. But God always
thinks, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. Now men, you see, men
forget us. Those that we have benefited,
those that we have done them good, they've turned against us. And I know this for sure, that
we have no abiding place in the hearts of fickle men. They'll turn you out every time. But God will never forget one
of his servants. He binds himself to us, not by
what we do for him, but by what he's done for us. So that's something. He binds himself to us, not by
what we do for him, but by what He does for us. Oh, that's something, isn't it?
We've been loved too long, loved too long, loved from eternity
past, before the foundation of the world. We've been loved too
long and have been bought with too great a price. to be soon forgotten by Jehovah
God. He says to Israel, remember this,
remember these, O Jacob and Israel, for thou art my servant, I have
formed thee. Thou art my servant, O Israel,
thou shalt not be forgotten of me. You find a greater promise
In all of the scriptures and that, you come around short,
tell me, apart from the redemption that we have in Christ Jesus.
Thou shalt not be forgotten of me. That's the ... Remember,
one of the preachers here said the other night, he said how
he loved the shalls and the wheels of the Bible. He said he loved
the shalls and the wheels. shalls that he was talking about. Thou shalt not be forgotten. Well, all right, you think about
that. I'm sure that that will encourage
you and help you when you think, you know, there's no help to
be had, when you think you've lost your best friend, when you
think of those that have benefited by your love, charity, mercy,
kindness, your wisdom, instruction and all, have turned their backs
on you. You figure that everyone's against
you. You're misunderstood. No one
understands you. It seems like the devil has been
unleashed and he won't give you Well, you just remember. You
remember that God has said, Jacob, I have formed thee. I made you. I made you. God made
us. Did you know that? God made us.
And he said, Thou shalt not be forgotten of me. God made us. And he said, I won't forget you.
I was reading the other day. I just thought this. This is
what it says. Let me think. Whosoever mocketh the poor, mocketh
his maker. You know what I got out of that?
Whosoever mocketh the poor, mocketh his maker. God makes the poor. That's what he's saying. God
makes the poor, and whosoever mocks the poor, mocks the poor's
maker, who's God. God made us. God formed us. God makes the poor. God makes
the rich. God made us. He'll not forget
us. I'll probably forget you. You'll
probably forget me. I'm sure we forget our own flesh
and blood. I was talking to my mother the
other night, too long ago. She told me, she said, I wonder
how your brother is. And I said, well, I think he's
all right. I don't hear much from him. Boy, she said, he calls
down and calls on Mother's Day, her birthday. She said, well, I haven't seen
him for a long time. I said, is that right? No, she said,
I haven't seen him for 13 years. I hadn't seen him for 13 years.
She said, the last time I seen him, I got on the airplane and
flew out to Detroit to see him. I said, he'd never return to
visit me. So you see how flesh is? That's the way flesh and blood
is. Forget. There's no abiding kinship and
relationship that's permanent. It's not. We're divorced. very easily from these paternal
friendships and so forth. Even what we call love. We call
it love. I don't know what it is. That's
what we call it. That thing can dissolve real
quick, too. Boy, not this one. Not the one
I'm talking about. I said, Thou shalt not be forgotten
of me. Isn't that wonderful? God said,
you won't be forgotten of me, I won't forget you. And when you think of how mean
and contemptible that you and I are, so unworthy of the least
of His mercy, then He knew all about this before He formed us. He knew all about us before he
chose us, before the world ever was. He knew what we would be
today. Today. He knew what we'd be today. He knew what our attitudes would
be, our thoughts. He knew all about us. And yet
he said, he said that this love that I
offer thee, that binds my heart to you, So it'll never cease,
never cease. And what binds me to you is not
what you've done for me, but what I've done for you.