Hey, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy,
diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy,
diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy,
diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy,
diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy,
diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy,
diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, diddy, you. It shall serve us this afternoon
by singing hymn number 498. The tune is Lucius, number 857. Time, what an empty vapour tis,
And days, how swift they are, Swift as an Indian arrow flies,
Or like a shooting star. Tis sovereign mercy finds us
food, And we are clothed with love, while grace stands pointing
out the road that leads our souls above. Hymn number 498, tune
Lucius number 857. Morning water, empty paper tears,
and days how swift they flow. Swift as an Indian, Hammer flies
on like a shooting star. The present moments just appear
Then slide away in haste That we can never say they're here
But only say their past And life is ever on the wing
And death is ever nigh Now and when our lives begin, we all
begin to die. God of fleeting days, thy lasting
favour share. Yet with the bounties of Thy
grace, There floats the ball in air. Tis offering mercy, finds us
food, and we are clothed with love. While grace stands pointing
out the way, His goodness runs out, endless
round. All glory to the Lord. His mercy never knows a bound,
And be His name adored. Thus we begin the Lasting song, and when we close
our eyes Then the next age thy praise prolong Till time and
nature Let us read together from the Word
of God from the Gospel of Matthew and chapter 16. Matthew's Gospel
and chapter 16 and commencing to read at verse 13. Here we have Jesus asking the disciples
what Others say about him, and then he asks them, who do they
think he is? And then shows to the disciples
what lies ahead before him as a savior of sinners. Matthew chapter 16, commencing
to read at verse 13. When Jesus came into the coasts
of Caesarea Philippi, He asked his disciples, saying, Whom do
men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, Some say that
thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremiah, or
one of the prophets. He said unto them, But whom say
ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ. the Son of the Living God. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee that
thou art Peter, And upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the
keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven. then charged he his disciples
that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time forth began Jesus
to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem
and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and
scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him and began
to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall
not be unto thee. But he turned and said unto Peter,
Get thee behind me, Satan, For thou art an offence unto me.
For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that
be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. For what is a man profited if
he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul. For the Son of
Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and
then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily
I sound to you, there be some standing here which shall not
taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his
kingdom. May the Lord bless that reading
of his holy word and help us now to draw an eye to God in
prayer. Let us pray. Kind and gracious and eternal
Lord God, we thank thee, Lord, that we can come to thee. Lord,
to that throne of grace. Lord, there shall I commune with
thee. above the mercy seat. Lord, we
pray, Lord, as we come before thee this afternoon, that we
may come and, Lord, have communion with the church's living head.
Lord, recognising, Lord, the barrier that there is because
of our sin naturally, and yet also understanding something
of the fact that thou hast dealt with that sin and that thou hast
made a way whereby sinners can approach thy throne. And Lord, we thank thee for the
mercies of this day. We thank thee for giving us each
a measure of health and strength to be here, those that aren't
physically here. We pray for any that are joining
online. Lord, we pray thy blessing upon
them and the ministry to them. And Lord, that there may be things
done today which will be for the blessing of thy dear people,
for the encouragement of thy church. Lord, that we may be
encouraged as we consider those that have gone before us, those
that have struggled with many things, and Lord, but those that
have been brought through and come to see the beautiful truths
of the gospel, Lord, for themselves. Lord, we pray then that for each
of us, that we may be amongst those who are learners, who are
growing in grace. Lord, those that are daily walking
with the Lord, those that are followers. Lord, which are following
on to know the Lord and to call thee the Redeemer blessed. We
pray for their dear pastor away from them. Lord, for rest and
change. Lord, we do pray thou be with
him Lord, and comfort and support him in the, Lord, the loss of
his, recently of his wife, Lord, and we pray for those here that,
Lord, have been bereaved recently. Lord, do comfort and support
them, and Lord, may they, Lord, recognise, Lord, that yet, Lord,
he never takes away our all himself. He gives us still. Lord, that
there may be a realisation, Lord, that thou art able, thou art
that one that, Lord, was dead, and behold, I am alive again,
and Lord, never to die again. Lord, we thank thee then, Lord,
for these precious truths. We thank thee, Lord, that, Lord,
thou hast come, Lord, and thy work has been described as the
death of death in the death of Christ. O Lord, O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Lord, we pray then that we may
know the magnitude of the blessings and the preciousness of the truths
of the gospel which enable us, Lord, to triumph over those things
which are naturally formidable enemies. Lord, death has been
described as the last enemy. And Lord, yet thou hast gained
the victory. And Lord, that thou hast made
a way whereby thy church. Lord, though many yet are sleeping
as it were, in their graves, awaiting that resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the church. Lord, we pray
that we, Lord, Lord, that we might each know what it is to
be part of that one body. Lord, which will be part of his
glorious body. Lord, which will be, Lord, raised
eternally to be with Christ, which is far better. Lord, we
do thank thee for thy mercies then, the mercies that bring
us together. And Lord, we pray that we may, Lord, find thee
to be precious even today. And Lord, take the words of our
mouths, and Lord, wash us and cleanse us. But Lord, truly,
how often the disciples said things which were not quite right,
and yet, Lord, thou didst graciously, Lord, deal with them in love,
Lord, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. There was those correcting,
Lord, and yet it was in love, and yet it was always with a
view to future union. Lord, not of separation. Lord, we pray then that we might
be amongst those who, Lord, each by faith have that union with
the church's living head. We do pray for the children and
young people found amongst us here this morning this afternoon.
Do be with them and bless them. And Lord, we thank thee for each
one. And Lord, we pray that the things that we speak of this
day, Lord, that we may be able to speak in a way which is straightforward
and simple. Lord, to speak to the heart.
And Lord, that they might be helped and blessed in their young
tender years. They might have that fear of
the Lord in their hearts, which is the beginning of wisdom. that
Lord, which cannot be taught, Lord, just by man's wisdom, but
Lord, something that is a gift, a gift of faith. Yet, Lord, we
are encouraged and instructed to bring up our children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. And we pray then, those
of us that are parents, that we might be given grace to do
that and to guide them and direct them into those ways which will
be for their good. and that we might know how to
lovingly support them and guide them and direct them. And Lord,
we pray that the house of God and the preaching of the word
might be precious even here. And Lord, that there may be an
encouragement that many may be able to come and declare what
the Lord has done for their souls. Lord, we do pray for thy blessing
then. And Lord, that there may be,
Lord, the fear of the Lord, and there may be, Lord, amongst each
one here, those that will be able to declare what the Lord
has done for their souls, that they may, Lord, come to that
point where they must speak, oh Lord, of what the Lord has
done in honour and glory to him. Lord, we pray, let thy work appear
unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do not
want to speak of those things that we have not experienced,
and yet, Lord, we are to give glory to God and, Lord, to show
forth his praise. Lord, do then be with them, we
pray. And, Lord, we do also commend,
Lord, the young people, Lord, to thee. And, Lord, thinking
particularly, Lord, of that blessing of Christian marriage Lord, we
pray for those that would seek to be married. Lord, we pray
that thou would provide for them in due time. Lord, those which
will be suitable for them, those which will be an encouragement
to them, those which will, Lord, truly bring them closer to the
Saviour as they walk the path together. Lord, we thank thee
for the blessing of Christian marriage and all the great blessings
that are associated with it and Lord we pray in a day when it
is so despised and set at naught and Lord ridiculed yet Lord that
it might be seen that Lord this institution that was Lord made
before the fall Lord was thy pattern and a great blessing
Lord for us Lord and we pray for those of us that are married
that we might be given grace and help, Lord, to appreciate
the privilege and to walk it out, and that in our marriages,
Lord, that there may be that resemblance between that love
that there is between Christ and his church. Lord, a true
deep love, the love of Christ, and Lord, the love of the church
to Christ. Lord, help us then in our Lord,
all our relationships, Lord, to truly live godly, to love
mercy, and to walk humbly before our God. Lord, we live in a day
when, Lord, these things are not held up to be good. Lord, not held up to be those
things which are to be commended. And yet, Lord, we live in a day
when there is much heartbreak and much Lord, broken relationships. And Lord, we pray that, Lord,
have mercy upon us and keep us. And Lord, help us to know how
to be kind to those that have difficulties or those that have
walked through difficulties. Help us to know how to be kind.
Lord, that we might have that empathy like we know our Saviour
had. Lord, we have not an high priest
that cannot be touched. with the feelings of our infirmities. Lord, but was tempted in all
points, like as we are, yet without sin. Lord, bless us then. Bless all the assemblies of thy
people this day, Lord. All the gatherings of thy people
up and down this land and throughout the world. Lord, we pray for
those places in the world where thy church is expanding. Lord, Thank thee that there are
those places, and Lord, we pray that they'll bless them, Lord,
with that true grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they'll keep
them and help them and bless them indeed. We do pray for thy
help then. They'll uphold us and keep us
and make thy face to shine upon us. Bless all the people that
are gathered here. We think of those in older age,
Lord, watch over them and keep them. Lord, those that are struggling
with afflictions and difficulties. Lord, we pray thou would uphold
them and keep them. And Lord, bless them in their
own souls, we pray. Bless the hymns that we sing
together. We thank thee, Lord, for all thy mercies towards us. And we pray for those that hold
office in this church. Do be with them and bless them.
Those that support their pastor, Lord, in his ministry here. And Lord, that there may be a
real blessing. And Lord, all that is done on
behalf of all the many churches amongst those here. Lord, we
thank Thee for all the help granted, and Lord, all the blessing it
has been to so many other churches. And Lord, we pray then that we
might, in the way that Thou has given us, ability to help one
another and to encourage one another and to be a blessing
to one another. Lord, do go before us now then,
and Lord, make Thy face to shine upon us. Lord, bless thy one
church, scattered throughout the world. Lord, build it up. Lord, and help us to know how
to reach those that we come into contact with. Give us that ability
to speak, and that, Lord, that word in season, and Lord, those
opportunities whereby we may be able to point others to the
Saviour, and be able to share what the Lord has done for us,
as Andrew did share with his brother Simon. what the Lord
had done for him. Lord, come in here, all ye that
fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul.
And Lord, when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord, we are
able to say that he is my beloved, but Lord, that you can come too. You can come and know this one
yourself. Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Oh, that there
is those Gracious gospel invitations, however everyone thirsteth, come
ye to the waters, come ye, buy wine and milk without money and
without price. Wherefore do you spend your money
for that which is not bread? Oh, and Lord, how easily. Lord,
we've read it in thy word this afternoon. What is a man profited
if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Oh, Lord. We do pray then that we may not
be, Lord, wedded overmuch to the things of this life, but
that we may hold what the Lord has given us with a loose hand,
Lord, knowing that it's not ours, it's lent to us, and help us
to use it diligently for the service and the blessing of thy
people and for those whom we come into contact with. Bless
us then, help us to be that salt and light And Lord, help us to
show forth thy praise. Bless us then, be with those
away from us, do bless them and keep them, and bless them and
bring them safely back at the appointed time. For Christ's
sake, amen. Continue our service by singing
hymn number 598, The tune is Samuel 1, number
560. Peculiar are the saints, and
God does them esteem. Though numerous are their wants,
they all things have in Him. He is their treasure and their
joy, nor can they ever starve or die. Peculiar is the grace
which makes their bliss secure, Its beauties none can trace,
nor know its saving power. None but this little favoured
few can know what endless love can do." Hymn number 598, the
Junior's Samuel 1, number 560. We are all the same, and none
of us is the same. ? O give thanks to the Lord ? ?
For he who reigns over me ? ? He is the treasure of their joy
? ? Long have they suffered ? Thou alone, eternity, and Chosen
in the Lamb, eternal One in three, Himself has built the holy tithes
to take them up beyond the skies. It is the grace which makes them
mystical. It is the grant which none other
in saving have. Namo'valokiteshvaraya Namo'valokiteshvaraya Love of Christ, peculiar Christ
indeed. Let God becomes their priest,
and they come settled with. Make in us the blessings we,
which make saints old and free, which make us free. never his father had peculiar
in thee. Begotten not of man, but of thee,
all to see. ? From Christ the Earth and I worshiped
? ? And to him in the joy he gave ? ? Pray live and live to
God ? ? Like you ? ? Then Father, snow
and frost ? ? Shall go take the poor too ? ? Christ is there,
I know Him, angel ? Oh, how can heaven I destroy? So, Lord, may you graciously
help me, I turn your prayerful attention to the text you'll
find in Matthew chapter 16, and verses 21 and 22. Matthew 16 verses 21 and 22. From that time forth began Jesus
to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem
and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and
scribes and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began
to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall
not be unto thee. Matthew 16 verses 21 and 22. We've just been singing in that
hymn just now how the life of the people of God is peculiar,
that means it's strange, different, opposite to what you would think
it would be. And indeed in what we're looking
at this afternoon, the Lord Jesus in showing the disciples what
he must do was the opposite to what they expected, something
that didn't fit with their view at all of what salvation involved
and yet became so central and was so central to the Christian
message. Well, what we've read together
is when Jesus was in the coast of Caesarea Philippi, that's
in the north of Israel, he asks the disciples, who do people
say I am? and many of them were saying
that John the Baptist, Elias, or Jeremias, and why the prophets
were obviously, these were the people who were favorable to
the Lord Jesus in a sense. Though they missed the fact that
he was actually greater than all of those, of course there
were his enemies that said he was Beelzebub, and cast out devils
because he was the prince of the devils. But there were those
that were, as it were, positive to his ministry, and yet fell
short of knowing who he really was. Just one of the Old Testament
people or John the Baptist who had been killed come back from
the dead. But then Jesus focuses his question
more tightly. But whom do ye? But whom say
ye that I am? And so here Jesus comes closer
as to the disciples, who do you think I am? Not just what others
think. And ultimately, we have a hymn
that has that word, what think ye of Christ is the test. To try both your state and your
scheme. You cannot be right in the rest
unless you think rightly of him. So our thoughts ultimately of
who the Lord Jesus is and What he's doing is so very vital. Well, Christ wanted to ask his
disciples, and once again, in verse 16 of our chapter, 16 of
Matthew, Peter is the one that gives the answer. We noted this
morning how Peter was often the spokesman, often the one that
set his mind, sometimes said things that were good, and other
times, in this very same chapter, said some things that were not
so good, and was rebuked for it. The fact that he said those
things meant that we can learn a lot about what the disciples
were going through, what they were struggling with. And that
can be a real help for us. Because, you see, they were men
of like passions as we are. They struggled with things. And
they can help us, point us to those things which are, what
secured them. And that can be a help to us. Peter then was the spokesman
on this occasion and often spoke on behalf of all the disciples. And he said this in verse 16,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter gave
a very good answer. It was the true understanding
of what, who the Messiah was. Peter did not think that he was
just John the Baptist, risen from the dead, or one of the
old prophets, he realized that thou art the Christ, the Anointed
One, the Son of the Living God. He had a view, you see, of the
greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus says this in Commendation,
Jesus saith unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon bar Jonah, the
son of Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but my Father which is in heaven. So Jesus states clearly that
this knowledge that Peter had of who Jesus was was not just
an earthly obtained knowledge, it was something that God the
Father had given to him to know exactly who Jesus was,
that he was indeed not just a great prophet but he was indeed the
son of God that he was he was God that's a tremendous thing
to think that God who created the the universe from everlasting
to everlasting he was the very one that Peter was standing in
front of what a tremendous thing that was for Peter and it is
for us today to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you see we
do not believe in something that's weak and frail. We believe in
someone, indeed the Son of God is almighty. He created everything
out of nothing. He sustains this world and he
will be the one that at last has that trump and time will
be no longer. This is the one that we're dealing
with. This is one who is majestic and all the nations to him was
a drop of a bucket. May we, as we come around God's
Word this afternoon, get a glimpse of the greatness of the One that
we are preaching on. This is not just somebody that
is just a little bit special. This is the One who created the
universe, the One that spoke, and this world was formed, and
the One that will call time to be no longer. This is the One
that we must know, Neither is there salvation in any other,
for there is none other name given among men whereby we must
be saved. This is vital. This is not optional. It's not just preferable, it's
vital. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah,
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto you, but my
Father which is in heaven. So this is a revelation from
God and may we pray And we pray for one another that the Lord
would reveal himself to each one of us, so that we do not
worship him just as some lower deity, somebody who's got a little
bit more power than somebody else, but the one that is almighty,
the one that is truly King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Well, Peter had given a good
answer. The father had revealed to Peter
who Jesus was, that he was indeed the Messiah, the Christ. And
then Jesus goes on and says, I say unto thee that thou art
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. The gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. That rock, that belief, that
center of Christ is going to be such a great thing in the
church. And then he speaks, speaks more
to his disciples. But then we come to verse 21,
from that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples. So
this is something, there's a new chapter here, there's a new,
there's a beginning. Jesus had not, up until this
time, really spoken clearly, as it were, or plainly to his
disciples what lay ahead. So Peter had come to realise
who Jesus was, but as we go on now, we realize that we find
that Peter doesn't really have much idea about what the Christ
would do. He knew that Jesus was the Christ,
but what the Christ would do, Peter didn't know. Now again,
I say the same I said this morning. This is not to poke fun at Peter. This is not to ridicule Peter
in any way. It's just to point out how a
child of God, a follower of the Lord Jesus, can have very wrong
or twisted views, as it were, or very imperfect views of what
really the whole work plan of salvation is, and yet be following,
learning, growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Peter wrote that in his epistle,
growing grace. It's not just one click of the
fingers, as it were, and we know everything. But Peter, it was
here a little and there a little, line upon line, precept upon
precept. And Peter, you see, was now going
to find out what that Messiah would do. Yes, indeed, Jesus
was the Messiah. He was the Christ. But what would
the Messiah do? What did the Messiah need to
do? How was it that, as we spoke this morning, when Jesus said
fear not, when Peter said that depart from me I'm a sinful man,
how could Jesus say fear not? How could he say that? What was
he going to do with the fact that Peter was sinful? Well verse
21 tells us from that time forth began Jesus to show unto his
disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many
things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed,
and be raised again the third day." In a very short verse,
or a very longish verse, but in a few words, Jesus gave an
outline, really, of all that stood before him. The sufferings,
the rejection, and the crucifixion, and the death, And then the rising
again on the third day. You see, the Lord Jesus revealed
and showed to his disciples, this is what's gonna happen.
And of course, we have in verse 22, Peter's reaction to that
summary that Jesus gave of what lay ahead. Then Peter took him
and began to rebuke him. This is the same Peter that just
a few verses earlier had recognized, thou art the Christ, the son
of the living God. And yet just a few verses later
he's remonstrating with him and telling him point blank that
what he's just said is not gonna happen. You see Peter, and so
often he was, he was, he spoke what he thought. And of course, his thoughts were not always
right, and our thoughts are not always right. But you see, he
explained what he was thinking, and it's a help to us to understand
what he was grappling with. You see, Peter took him aside
and began to rebuke him, saying, be it far from thee, Lord, this
shall not be unto thee. See, if you look back in Isaiah
52, that prophecy which then goes on to Isaiah 53 which is
the suffering servant and how that the Lord would suffer in
the place of his people. But in Isaiah 52 verse 13 it
says this, Behold my servant shall deal prudently. He shall
be exalted and extolled and be very high. Peter would have said
yes, that's the Messiah we want. We want a Messiah that's dealing
prudently, he's exalted and extolled and be very high. That's the
Messiah we want. That's what he had in his mind.
That's what Peter had in his mind. He was a follower of the
Son of God and this is the path that he tracked out for the Son
of God. But you see verse 14 of Isaiah 52 really explains
what Peter was going through. As many as were astonished at
thee. Peter was going to be astonished
at the Lord Jesus Christ. And what we've been singing just
in that hymn really, there's something astonishing about the
gospel. If you've never been astonished
by it, have you really understood it? It is amazing that the one
who came to be the shepherd of his people, you think about You
see sheep and a shepherd, and you see the shepherd looking
after those sheep. And then if you were to say, well, the shepherd's
going to die, well, you think, that's not good for the sheep.
If the shepherd dies, that's not good for the sheep. Naturally,
you'd think that, wouldn't you? Who's going to care for the sheep
if the shepherd dies? But you see here, we have a shepherd
that laid down his life for the sheep. And how, looking on, you'd
say, well, how can that benefit the sheep? How is that good for
the sheep? Surely that's going to leave the sheep vulnerable.
Of course, that was the words that had been prophesied in the
prophecy of Zechariah. Zechariah 13, verse 7, we read
these words, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against
the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts, smite the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. Well, Peter didn't
think that would be a good idea. And, well, as we come to the
things of God ourselves, You see, the idea of the Messiah
dying, standing in his people's place. See, although Peter cried
out earlier, depart from me for I'm a sinful man, did he realize
the cost of what it was to reverse that awful effect of sin? Do
we realize? Ye who think of sin but lightly,
nor presume its evil grade. You see, if you go to Calvary,
you start to realize the cost. But you see, there's a vast difference
between creation and redemption. You see, the Lord Jesus in creation,
he spoke and it was done. He said, let there be light,
and there was light. Let there be a firmament, and
there was a firmament. he spoke and it was done with
such ease it seems of course that's not to say that the complexity
of creation and our bodies and all that is tremendously complicated
and yet he spoke and it was done there's a relative ease in chapter
one of Genesis a simplicity and yet I'm not trying to say creation
is simple it's a tremendously complex but he did it as it were
an easy work for God to do but when we come to re-creation. When we come to sorting out the
problem of man-sin and separation between a holy God and sinners,
we never read of anything like this. And God said, let there
be redemption, and there was redemption. We never read that
in the Bible. Because it wasn't just He spoke it. See, in creation,
He spoke and it was done. But when it came to regeneration,
when it came to purchasing his people, he left heaven's glory. He became a worm and no man.
You realize Psalm 22, became a worm and no man. He became
so poor. He sweat as it were great drops
of blood in the garden of Gethsemane. You don't see the same, as it
were, just spoken, it was done, do you? You start to see, you
see the difficulty. I thought about it like this,
sometimes you have somebody perhaps in your class or in business
and you see whatever they do, they seem to be very, very clever
and they can just do it ever so easily. Perhaps you've come
across people like that in your class and they are very talented
people. Well, if you saw that person sweating and groaning
over a certain problem, you'd know that that problem was a
massive problem. Well, that's just a little picture of something
greater of the Lord of life and glory. He spoke in creation,
it was done. It was a simple work for him.
But when it came to regeneration, when it came to bringing people
back to God, redemption, when it came to redemption, then you
see, it was not going to be just a case of him speaking and it
was done. He wasn't just going to speak and Peter's sins would
be gone. No. He was going to work out
a righteousness himself. And this was something that Peter
hadn't appreciated. He didn't realize that this was
necessary. He didn't realize that this was the way. Then Peter
took him and began to rebuke him, saying, be it far from thee,
this shall not be unto thee. This is a child of God, this
is one who loved the Lord, who didn't understand what God needed
to do, what Jesus needed to do to save him from his sins. And you see, we looked this morning
at a prayer of Peter, and graciously, God didn't answer that prayer
directly, did he? depart from him. And here again, Peter's
desire that Jesus would not do this was not granted and what
a mercy it was that it was not granted. How could he have wrote,
we're not redeemed with corruptible things of silver and gold but
with the precious blood of Christ. He didn't appreciate that at
all in Matthew 16. But you see the Lord Jesus was
going to lead Peter. and going to show him that it
was necessary. Thus it behoved Christ. It was vitally necessary. It was not what Peter expected. He didn't understand it. In fact,
none of the disciples really grasped what Christ was going
to do at Calvary after the resurrection, really. And then they started
to lay hold upon the beauty of these things. people like Isaiah
in Isaiah 53 had a clearer view, as it were, prophetically of
what Christ was doing than any of the disciples did, really,
who had spent three years with him in the ministry. You see, this is a way that is
so opposite to our thinking. How could the Lord of life and
glory, who was so great, how could he come to this earth You
think, would he come to this earth and he'd be a VIP? He'd
be very important. Everybody would bow down to him. Everybody would do what he said. But here, he was despised and rejected. Man, this is amazing. The one
who came from heaven's glory when he's receiving the praise
of the angel continually. He comes to this earth and instead
of being welcomed, he's rejected and despised. You'd think if
he was, as it were, one of us, he'd say, well, I'll go back
home then. I'll go back. If you don't want me, I'll go
back. But no, he set his face toward Jerusalem. I have a baptism
to be baptized with. And how am I straightened? He
must go to Jerusalem. And you see, Peter, Peter meant
this in kindness to his Lord. He didn't want to see his Lord
suffer. He didn't want to see him killed. And he meant it in
love. to the Lord Jesus and yet he
was really, when you look at the sharp rebuke he received
from the Lord, he was really doing Satan's work because he
was trying to stop him going to Calvary. Trying to stop him
taking up his cross. And you see, we as Christians
are to take up our cross. We are to deny ourselves and
to follow him. Peter wanted a life, you see,
of just as it were, being with his Lord in a famous sort of
way, in a way of being recognized and a way of honor. But actually
he was going to find that he was going to be a follower of
a suffering. You see, in Isaiah 53 it says
that, Who hath believed our report? Peter didn't really believe it,
did he? He didn't really believe that
this was the way. Surely this isn't the way. Master, this shall
not be unto thee. But it is the way. You see, as
many as were astonished at thee, his visage was so marked more
than any man. The Lord of life and glory comes
to this earth to pay the price of his people's sins. And instead
of him receiving a phenomenal welcome, he's despised and rejected. The people who are the most,
the religious elite, are the people who are the first and
the foremost in putting him into death. Would you have imagined
that? You see, this is the gospel. The gospel. The Lord Jesus. You can see it's not man's thoughts,
is it? It wasn't Peter's thoughts. He
opposed it. He didn't want it. And yet, how
that when Jesus rose from the dead and he was with those two
on the road to Emmaus, and they were telling the Lord of all
that had happened recently and then they say this heart-rending
statement, we thought it would have been He that would have
redeemed Israel. We thought that this was the
Messiah, but now, big question mark, He's died. There was reports
that He's possibly risen again, but we're not quite sure of those.
It's been reported, but they didn't see it, not everybody
saw Him. And then Jesus makes that precious statement, ought
not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his
glory. And you see, this is a way that
they couldn't understand. It's a way that by nature we
don't understand. We don't understand the necessity
of the sufferings, and yet when we consider, you see, our sin,
when we consider how can those that are sinners be united with
a holy God, Peter was going to learn and realise and embrace
and love the fact of substitution. And the fact that Jesus laid
down his life became the way that Peter ultimately was going
to be a disciple. He was a disciple before that,
as it were, but his salvation ultimately was gained by Christ
laying down his life for him. And yet Peter opposed it, he
didn't want it, and he told Jesus that it wouldn't And so you see
here the fact that the Lord needs to lead his people. And I've
often thought of it like that. If somebody has fought against
a position in their earlier days and didn't agree with something
and then came to see it, often they hold it more heartily later
because they realise the other side and they've come to realise
the truth of something that they physically opposed. And it's interesting that the
epistles of Peter are written to a suffering church. Peter
didn't want to suffer, he didn't want his master to suffer and
he didn't want to suffer himself. And yet Peter writes epistles
to the suffering church. He became, you see he became,
he grew in grace and he became to love those things that he
really opposed before. And so here we see how the Lord
leads his people He was told to follow Jesus, you see, back
when we looked at this morning in Luke 5. But he didn't understand
what Jesus was going to do. He realized he was the Messiah,
he was the Christ, but he didn't know what the Messiah was going
to do. And so you see the Lord leads his people on to make Christ
precious to them. In every office he sustains,
in every victory he gains, in every counsel of his will, He's
precious to his people still. But you see, they didn't think,
Peter didn't think he needed such a savior as that. But you
see, when God shows us our need and shows us how else could that
sin of Peter be atoned for? Peter's, you see, I suppose we
all like to think of it like that. We love the word mercy,
don't we? We like people to be merciful
to us and to when we've done something wrong to, as it were,
look over it and not punish us according to what we should have
been punished for. We love that sort of thought
generally, if it's to do with us. We love mercy in that sense. But whenever we receive mercy,
somebody else, if justice is going to be satisfied, somebody
else who didn't deserve the punishment receives the punishment. And
you see, that's what it is with the Lord Jesus Christ. His church
who deserved to be abandoned by God through a never-ending
eternity in punishment in hell with Satan and his angels because
they were sinners. That's what they deserved. But
salvation means that they would not receive that because they
received mercy. But the opposite happened to
the Lord Jesus Christ. The only one who was holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, the only one that had never sinned,
the only one that had never disobeyed his father, he received the punishment
that those people deserved. So he was, as it were, that's
what that cut was, you see, in that garden when he nearly, as
it were, His soul was sorrowfully, even
unto death, we read in the Garden of Gethsemane. What it was, you
see, in lamentation, it say, behold and see if there is any
sorrow like unto my sorrow. Any sorrow, because you might
say, well, there are other people that have been crucified. Jesus
is not unique in being crucified. Other people have been crucified.
It's a terrible death, but other people have been crucified. But
there is something unique about the Lord Jesus Christ. Because
he was not only crucified, but he was, you see, man did his
worst to Jesus. And then midday came. And then
the sun stopped shining. Now that was not the organization
of the Romans or the Jews. It was God, the Father. was meeting
out the judgment that should have been meted out to his entire
church, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in those three hours
of darkness. So in those three hours of darkness,
he endured what his church should have endured, all his church,
down through the ages, from Adam's day to the end of time, all the
church of God that should have been in hell forever because
of their sins, was concentrated on the Lord Jesus Christ, who
never sinned and never disobeyed his father. He hath made him
to be sin for us. And that's why the death of the
Lord Jesus Christ becomes everything to God's people. Naturally, it
isn't something that we think is sensible, it's something that
we reject, and it's something that Peter rejected. But when
they came to see, I always used to think as a child, there was
a hymn that said, sweet the moments rich in blessing,
which before the cross I spend. I used to think, well, if you
really love somebody, why would you like to sit there watching
somebody dying on a cross? I couldn't grasp how that could
be precious. But you see, when you start to
realize that the reason that you have been freed from a never-ending
eternity in hell is because that one on that cross was bearing
your sins, then you have a different view of that cross, you see.
You have a different realization that that one is standing there
in your place, and you love them in a different way. I can just
use a simple illustration that I came across. There was a lady
once, she was involved in a house fire, and she had a very young
child at the time, the house went on fire and she got into
the house and grabbed this child and rescued this child's life. But as a result of that, her
hands were very disfigured because they got very burned. And as
the child got older, you see, they started to resent the fact
that their mother had such ugly looking hands. But when this
child got a bit older, the mother said, well, you know, the reason
you're mother's hands are so disfigured is because I rescued
you from a burned house and really those disfigured hands are marks
of my love to you and you see you start therefore when we the
centerpiece of glory is the lamb as it had been slain naturally
you wouldn't say that's a particularly beautiful centerpiece naturally
to our minds is it but the centerpiece of glory is the lamb as it had
been slain this is why they're there This is how they're there.
This is how sin has been dealt with. This is how we get to glory. And you see, this was something
that Peter didn't grasp and didn't want and didn't think that was
necessary. And yet that same Peter wrote
those beautiful epistles. You're not redeemed with corruptible
things of silver and gold from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ. You see, Peter was in no doubt,
he came into no doubt as to how precious those things were. But
they were things he kicked against. They're things he told the Lord
Jesus off for earlier in his time. But with the precious blood
of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who
verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world but
was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe
in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory,
gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God. So
you see here that this thing that Peter objected to, didn't
see the necessity of it, he pushed against it, became the very central
theme of the preaching of the Apostle Paul. Paul said this,
I determined to know nothing among men save Jesus Christ and
him crucified. This was a central doctrine that
Peter objected to because he didn't think it was necessary.
But he came to realize it was. He came to realize that this
was the only way whereby he, that gulf that he understood
at the beginning of his sinfulness and God's holiness, this was
the only way that that gulf of separation could be bridged,
satisfying justice and mercy at the same time. That Christ
could be just and the justifier of the ungodly. This was the
great central message that Peter came to realise. Then Peter took
him and began to rebuke him saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this
shall not be unto thee. These were the words of dear
Peter. And so often our words are against
the Lord. We don't fully understand what
we're saying. He didn't understand his need.
If the Lord Jesus had listened to him and said, OK, well, I
won't go to the cross, then I won't do that. Well, then there would
be no salvation. The whole plan of salvation would
have gone. But he turned and said unto Peter,
Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an offence unto me,
for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that
be of men. You see, we read in Hebrews 12
verse six, Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. And Peter needed
to be chastened, he needed to be rebuked, because he got it
wrong. And so often, you see, we don't
understand. And yet, you see, like as a father
pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
He knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are dust. I think, may I say this, those
that are young in the faith, those that have come a little,
as it were, beginning steps, as it were, in the things of
God, we need to be very, very careful how we judge them. Because
you see, they may have all sorts of things that they've got wrong.
But you see, they may be fumbling along. It is like that when you
think of it. You have a little child, a little
toddler, and it's just beginning to walk, and it takes a few steps.
It takes a few steps, and then it falls over. Just imagine if the father said,
well, if you fall over once more, you're not my son anymore. You'd
say, you'd never say that. How foolish. Well, we can think
that the Lord Jesus is gonna be like that with us. That if
we fall over once more, that's it. But you see, life as a father
pitieth his children. So the Lord pitieth them that
fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he
remembereth that we are dust. Peter was, you see, in the very
next chapter, chapter 17, Peter, James, and John were taken up
into that mount of transfiguration. Peter was not rejected as a disciple
because of this. He was rebuked, he was chastened,
he was corrected, but he wasn't pushed out, and you see, how
the Lord, whom the Lord loveth. He teaches us, you see, and we're
to learn of him, and we're to come and embrace the things that
he teaches. And so we see that very much in, let me just look
at 2 Peter 3. but grow in grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That's what we
are to do, we're to grow in grace. And as we fall to it, as we fumble
and as we get it wrong, we need, you see, we need that long suffering. I've heard it described like
that, that Really what we have in the creation of the beginning
of the world has similarities to the new creation. You see,
when God commanded the light to shine out of darkness, Paul
parallels that with the work of grace, doesn't he? God who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God shined in creation and there
was light. and so in the hearts of God's
people, and yet there was light, but there was darkness again. You see, you might think that
when God said, let there be light, and there was light, that was
the end of darkness, but it wasn't. The evening and the morning were
the first day there was light and darkness. What it was was
a binding of that light, of the darkness. You see, before Before
God spoke, let there be light, there was continual darkness
over the face of the waters. There was no life, there was
no light. But when God spoke, you see,
there was a binding of that darkness. Now it could only be in the nighttime.
And the light was in the day. And so in the hearts of God's
people, there's not a deletion of all the darkness still. They
still know, sadly, the darkness, the times of growing darkness.
And yet, you see, as you go through those days, or even in the first
day, it says, and God saw the light that it was good. But there
wasn't any living creatures, there wasn't any plants, there
wasn't any many things, and yet God declares it to be good. And
how God, you see, when he begins to work in the hearts of his
people, oh, you say they haven't got this yet, they haven't got
that yet, they haven't understood that yet. Ah, but he's begun
a good work. He's begun, and God has said
it's good. And it kept on going good, and as God worked in creation
to make the dividing of the waters below the firmament and above,
and then the dividing of the land, the waters on the land,
and then in the sea, there was all that dividing and binding.
And how that God, you see, has to divide the good from the evil. He has to show us what is evil
and what is good. I mean, I've thought about it
like this. You think in the life of the
Apostle Paul, when God shined in his heart on that Damascus
road, the three days that followed in Saul of Tarsus' life were
probably the darkest days of his life. He was blind. The light had shined, and what
it had showed, it showed the darkness. And you see, when God's
light shines, it shows the darkness in our own heart. It didn't stay
there, but it revealed the darkness. And so you see, as in creation,
you see there was the light and the dark, the evening and the
morning. There was a continual cycle until we read on the seventh
day. We don't read of an evening.
And I wonder whether that's a picture you see of the seventh day, the
day of eternal rest, that God rested and there was then no
more night. And you see, here below we have
still, we're to live in this body of sin and death. We're
to live with the struggles, but there's a time coming where there
will be no more night. There will be no more darkness.
Yes, there is here below, but ultimately there's a time coming
when there will be no more darkness. Then Peter took him and began
to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall
not be unto thee. How often we say and do things
that are not right. And yet Peter was a child of
God, one that was favored to preach to Pentecostals. He's, later on, just before Jesus
was taken after Gethsemane, Peter was the one that three times
said that he did, denied who, that he knew Jesus. And Jesus
was just about to stand in his place as his savior and substitute. And while he was just about to
do that, just about to go to Calvary, Peter denies any link
with him. But you see, the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Peter, you see, went out and
wept bitterly. He realised he was wrong, and he found repentance. He found that there was a way
back to God from the dark paths of sin. He realised he so often
got it wrong, and yet he was pressing toward the mark. And
yet he was able to therefore encourage others that he had
obtained mercy, and that they could obtain mercy too. Well,
may we be amongst those that obtain mercy Realize how often
we get things wrong, and yet press toward the mark. I'll just
close with these thoughts from Psalm 37. Something that you wouldn't naturally
think would follow. Psalm 37, verse 23, it says,
the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighted
in his way. Would you think the next verse
would follow this? Though he fall. He shall not be utterly
cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. You see, walking
in God's ways does not mean we will never fall. But the Lord,
you see, upholdeth him, and when thou art converted, when you've
come back through that, Peter, strengthen the brethren. He was
gonna be able to strengthen others because he had obtained mercy. Paul who, sorry, David who sinned
with Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite fell greatly. When he
was restored, he said, then shall I teach sinners thy ways and
transgressors shall be brought back. He would be able to preach
to others that he had obtained mercy and that he would be able
to preach that there is forgiveness with God that he may be feared.
Well, may we come to be led to see the necessity of Christ and
him crucified, amen. Lord, if thou thy grace impart,
poor in spirit, meek in heart, I shall as my master be rooted
in humility, simple, teachable, and mild, changed into a little pleased with all the law provides,
weaned from all the world presides. Hymn number 1058, Junis Vienna,
number 517. Who didst thou thy grace impart? Pour in spirit, make it heard. I shall, as my Master be, Vita-denyam-melleti Simkhati-chapabhana Changed into a little child Placed
with all the Lord's provides Queen from all the world's best
sides Mother, pitch my song away. Every ebony let me play. In one beneath another, Kind and gracious Lord God, we
do pray that thou would take us by the hand and lead us as
that little child into the great truths of the everlasting gospel,
show us our need of a saviour, Show us the suitability of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Show us, Lord, the necessity
of all that He accomplished. And though to our minds so often
it seems strange and mysterious, yet lead us on with blessed pace
to Jesus as our hiding place. And Lord, help us to then follow
Thee, follow Thee with us wherever Thou goest, and be willing to
deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. Bless us then, we pray, and go
before us. May the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father's love, the fellowship of the Eternal Spirit
be with and abide with us each, both now and for evermore. For
Christ's sake, amen.