Go with me if you would back
to first Peter chapter 1 We ended last Wednesday night
with verse 9, which says, Receiving the end of your faith, even the
salvation of your souls. We're just saying He's the Savior
of my soul. Receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your souls. The gospel is the notification
of how Christ saved our souls. Everything that we possess is temporary except for our soul. Everything that is in our natural
being will end, except for our soul. When God created our soul, He
created an eternally existing creation. For each one of us,
there came a moment in time when God created our soul and attached
it to our body. And at that moment in time, He
created something that would not ever end. Never. Never. No matter what. No matter what the outcome is, we're going to exist forever. were going to exist forever. Now let me show you a few scriptures
concerning the reality of a man or a woman's soul. Look with
me at Ezekiel 18. Ezekiel chapter 18. Verse 4, the Lord God said, Behold,
all souls are mine. As soon as this body dies, this
body is going to fall. And as soon as this body dies,
Ecclesiastes 12 verse 7 says, The soul has to go back and stand
before the God who gave it. Verse 4 says, Behold, all souls
are mine. As the soul of the father, so
also the soul of the son is mine. And then he said, The soul that
sinneth, it shall die. Well, I thought you just said
it was going to exist forever. It is. It is, but it's gonna
have to exist in an eternal state of being dead to God. It's an eternal damnation. It is an eternal destruction,
a destruction that will not ever end, never. Now, I could quote
these, but I wanna show them to you. The first scripture,
two scriptures is Mark 9. Go with me over to Mark 9. Mark chapter 9 verse 43 says,
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off. It is better for
thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Where there
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot
offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter
halt into life than having two feet to be cast into hell, into
the fire that never shall be quenched. Where their worm dieth
not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee,
pluck it out, for it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom
of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell
fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted
with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt
is good. But if the salt have lost his
saltness, wherewith will you season it? Have salt in yourselves
and have peace one with another. You know, people believe if they
leave this earth and they don't spend eternity with God, they're
just gonna miss out on the good things and that's okay with them.
I'll just take it now. I'll just take my payday here
and I'll miss out on the end and that's fine. What men and
women don't realize is there is a worm of torment. There's a flesh-eating maggot
that will not ever stop. The guilt, the torment, it will
never, never, ever end. The fire of judgment and punishment
and torture, it will never be quenched, never. Never, it's
forever. Now look with me over at Revelation
20. Revelation 20 verse 10 says,
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire
and brimstone, where the beast, and that's all of false religion,
and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night
forever and ever. Verse 14 says, in death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Our Lord calls this the second
death. This is the never-ending death
of the soul. forever and ever. Verse 15, and
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. The soul that sinneth has this
waiting for it. This is waiting for it. You know,
we've heard these statements before. Men talk about sinners
hanging over the mouth of hell by a spider's web. Just wide
open waiting for it. Now, I have sinned, you have
sinned, all have sinned. Every soul that has ever been
given, every soul that God has ever given has sinned. If a man
say that he has no sin, he makes God a liar and the truth is not
in him. We've all sinned. What we need
is salvation. What our souls need, we cannot
fathom how much we need this. Oh, we want it and we think we're
thankful for it. Buddy, one of these days we're
going to be so thankful as we stand there in the judgment on
the side that the Lord says, enter into my kingdom. As we stand there looking at
the one who redeemed us and seeing what all those have to endure
who were not under the blood of Jesus. One of these days we're
going to be so thankful. We're going to see. We don't
see. We don't see. But our soul needs salvation. Our soul needs redemption from
this eternal damnation, this eternal, eternal suffering. That has been the only need for
a soul since God started making souls. The only need. The good news is there is a salvation. There is one salvation. There
has only ever been one salvation. and we're going to see it in
our text. Go back to 1 Peter 1. Verse 10 says, Of which salvation,
this one salvation that a soul needs and has, of which salvation
the prophets have inquired and searched diligently prophesied
of the grace that should come unto you." The prophets inquired
of this one salvation and searched diligently for this one salvation. It's the salvation of the Old
Testament. The prophets searched it out. It would surprise you, I'm sure,
how many people believe that there are two different salvations
that have been throughout time. A salvation of the Old Testament
and a salvation of the New Testament. That's not so. One salvation. There's only one salvation. It's the salvation that the prophets
diligently searched and declared. Look with me over at Luke 24. Luke 24 verse 27, and beginning
at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all
the scriptures the things concerning himself. everything that was
written about himself. Verse 44 says, he said unto them,
these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with
you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. Look a few pages over at John
5, verse 45. John 5, 45, he said, do not think
that I will accuse you to the father. There is one that accuseth
you, even Moses, in whom you trust. Men and women are trusting
in the law. They're trusting in the law.
They're trusting in the law. And the Lord said, I'm not going
to accuse you to the father. Moses is going to. The whole
time Moses was pointing you to me. Verse 46, had you believed
Moses, you would have believed me for he wrote of me. This one salvation for a soul
is the salvation that the prophets diligently searched and declared. It's the salvation of the Old
Testament. Now go back to 1 Peter 1. Verse 12 says, unto whom it
was revealed that not unto themselves, but
unto us. They did minister the things
which are now reported unto you. By them that have preached the
gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.
This salvation is not only the salvation of the Old Testament,
it's the salvation preached right now today. The very same salvation. The one and only salvation. It's the same yesterday, today,
forever. The same hope that Adam had.
That's the same hope we have. The same hope that David had,
that's the same hope we have. The same hope Isaiah had, that's
the same hope of salvation we have. That hope of salvation
is so glorious. It is so glorious. It says at
the end of verse 12 right here, even the angels desire to look
into it. It is so wonderful. So glorious,
even the angels. desire to look into it. A third
of the host of the angels fell. There's an innumerable company
of angels. God has them numbered. And one
third of them fell just like man fell. They fell just like
we did. They experienced the same fall
into sin that we did. Same thing. God did not choose
to redeem one of them. Isn't that something? The ones who are still there
with him. 1st Timothy 5.21 says they are
elect angels. They were chosen not to fall.
Chosen to never fall. And they didn't. They never did
fall. In both cases, in the fallen
angels and the ones who never did fall, in both cases, not
one angel has ever known the experience of redemption. Redemption is not for the angels.
Never known that experience. Hebrews 2 verse 16 says, he took
not on him the nature of angels. But He took on Him the seed of
Abraham. He took on Him the form of the
flesh. The angels knowing how holy He
is. They have been in His presence.
They are in His presence. Knowing how holy He is. Knowing
something of His strict justice. This God that we just read who
put souls in hell in a fire that's never quenched. The angels knowing something
of all of His holiness and His justice. Knowing that all of
mankind fell. Every single man and woman fell. Knowing that He cannot and He
will not clear the guilty. Knowing every bit of that. They
look at this and they think, how can this be? How can this be? They see God redeem some sinners,
redeem some men and women back to Himself. And they think, how
can a sinner be just with God? We see how holy He is. We see
how just He is. We see how perfect He is. We
see what He demands. How can a sinner be just with
God? God said to the angels, I'm going
to tell you exactly how. God preached the gospel to the
angels. He told them how. And then he said, you're going
to go and tell them. They declared the message. Our
Lord himself and two angels came to Abraham in the door of his
tent. And they told Abraham about a covenant. A covenant of a son. Salvation through a seed. God sent an angel to Daniel.
That angel told Daniel when and how salvation would come. Exactly
when, exactly how. He told him 70 weeks have been
determined. After that, Messiah's coming. That same angel came to Mary doing the same thing that we
do today. Came preaching the gospel of
glad tidings. came to Mary and he told her
who this salvation was. He said, Mary, he's great. He's great. Wait till you meet
him. Wait till you see him. He is the son of the highest,
the son of righteousness with healing in his wings. He's gonna reign over the house
of Jacob. Now, can you imagine this angel
who has never fallen bringing this news? He's gonna reign over
the house of Jacob, the sinner, the trickster. He's gonna reign
over and be the God of redeemed sinners forever, forever. God has given His prophets, He's
given His preachers, He's given His angels one message. One message. The message of the
one and only salvation for souls that there is. Jesus Christ the
Lord. Christ the Lord. We just sang
last month, Oh come let us adore Him. Christ the Lord. Salvation is of Him. It's through
him and it's to him and that's what Peter's telling us right
here. Of him, verse 10, he said, of
which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently
who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. All of
God's prophets All of God's angels and all of God's preachers say
salvation is by grace. It's by grace. It's by grace. I'm so happy when
people come to know that. It's by grace. There are a lot
of people in this town who have not yet learned, have not yet
seen, have not yet come to know the glorious truth that salvation
is by grace. By God's free grace are you safe. Never did one prophet, never
did one angel Never did one of his preachers say, salvation
is by the deeds of the law. Never did one prophet say, salvation
is by the deeds of the law. You know what Moses said? He
said, take a lamb. That's what Moses said. Take
a lamb. The very first man and woman
who sinned, which was the very first man and woman ever. As soon as they sinned, God laid
hold of a lamb for them. He covered them. You know the angels were inquiring
into that. The horror of it, the glory of
it. He covered them. He made an appeasement for them
through the blood of that lamb. David cried, have mercy on me. He said, if you purge me with
hyssop, I'll be clean. If you do this, I'll be clean. That's what he said through all
the Psalms. He said, this is not unto us, Lord, it's not unto
us, it's unto you. All through Isaiah, all through
Jeremiah, all through Ezekiel, all the prophets, the Lord kept
saying, I will. I will. I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do this. I'm going to take that heart
of stone out of you. You're not going to make that
hard, dead, wicked heart better. I'm going to take it out. I'm
going to give you a brand new heart. That's called grace. I'm going to give. I'm going
to give. I'm going to wash you. I'm going to draw you to myself. You're going to be mine. It's
called grace. Jonah said salvation is of the
Lord. It's of the Lord. That's what
all the prophets said. It's of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter tells us it's of Him. It's
through Him. It's through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 11 says, Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit
of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand
the sufferings of Christ. He said, this salvation is by
grace. This salvation is by the sufferings of Christ. Moses said,
take a lamb. Isaiah said in chapter 53, this
lamb is going to bear it all. John the Baptist said, behold
the lamb. He pointed at the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, behold
the lamb. Salvation is through the gift
of the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. No work
added to it. God does not deal with us based
on our dealings with Him. No work added to it, no work
taken from it. It's of the sufferings of Christ
alone. Look at 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I would not
that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were
under the cloud and all passed through the sea. He's talking
about Moses delivering the people out of Egypt. Verse 2, they were
all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and they
did all eat the same spiritual meat, that manna that fell, the
quails at night. And they did all drink the same
spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed
them. And that rock was Christ. That rock that had to be smitten
in order for God's people to receive that life-giving water,
that rock that was smitten of God and afflicted, that was Christ. That was Christ. Romans 1 tells
us the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our gospel of salvation. Our good news of salvation is
that He came to suffer. He came to die. He came to be
buried. He came to rise again. And then
that is where salvation stops. That's where it's finished. That's
the end of it. A soul cannot believe that that's
where salvation stops until God gives that soul faith to believe
that's where salvation stops. Right there. Either way, that's
where salvation stops. Whether we believe it or don't,
that's where it stops. Peter said it's by grace. It's
the gift of God. It's through the sufferings of
Christ. And he said one more thing about
it. back in our text. First Peter 1 verse 11, searching
what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in
them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of
Christ and the glory that should follow. Peter said this is the
salvation of the glory that should follow. This is unto glory. This is unto glory. This salvation
is by grace. This salvation is by the suffering
of Christ. This salvation is unto glory.
Whose glory? Who gets the glory? Of Him? Through Him? to Him. He gets every bit of it. Go one
more time to Luke 24. Luke 24, this is where those
two men were walking on the road to Emmaus. The Lord came up and
He started walking with them. He asked them what they were
talking about in verse 17. He said unto them, what manner
of communications are these that you have one to another as you
walk and are sad? I love that he could tell they
were sad. He was asking, why are you sad?
Verse 16 says their eyes were holding that they should not
know him. They didn't know who he was. Verse 18, and the one
of them whose name was Cleopas answering said unto him, art
thou only a stranger in Jerusalem and has not known the things
which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto
them, what things? And they said unto him concerning
Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and
word before God and all the people. and how the chief priest and
our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified
him. But we trusted that it had been
he which should have redeemed Israel. We thought he was our
salvation. And beside all this, today is
the third day since these things were done, Yea, and certain women
also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher,
when they found not his body, they came saying that they had
also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive."
They said that they looked into these things. And they told us
he was alive and that we were going to see him again. That's
what these angels said. But he's not here right now.
And we can't physically see Him. And it makes us doubt. And it
makes us sad. That's what they're saying. They
said we're going to see Him again. They said He's alive. They said
He's risen. They said He's going before you.
But we just can't see Him. And it makes us doubt. And it
makes us sad. Verse 24, and certain of them
which were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even so
as the women had said, but him they saw not. Then he said unto
them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things and to enter into his glory? Ought not Christ to
suffer? And ought not Christ to enter
into His glory? Is He not worthy of all the glory
and all the praise and all the honor? At the hearing of His name, is
He not worthy to be bowed to? A saved soul cries, Yea, Lord! Thou art worthy. Verse 30 It
came to pass as he sat at meat with them, he took bread and
blessed it and break and gave to them and their eyes were opened
and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight. And they
said one to another, did not our heart burn within us while
he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the
scriptures? And they rose up the same hour
and ran to Jerusalem." They went running. back to Jerusalem. And they found the 11 gathered
together and them that were with them saying, the Lord is risen
indeed and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were
done in the way and how he was known of them in breaking of
bread. They said, our salvation has
come. He's come, the Lord is risen indeed. Verse 36, and as
they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and
said unto them, peace be unto you. Peace be unto you. Verse 50 says, and he led them
out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and he
blessed them. And it came to pass while he
blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
And they worshiped him and they returned to Jerusalem with great
joy. And they were continually in
the building where Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church meets. Praising and blessing God. Our souls have been saved. There is no eternal torment for
us. There is no eternal fire for
us. Peace be unto you. Peace by the
grace of God. Peace through the suffering of
Christ. All for the praise of His glory.
Let's all stand together. Turn with me, if you would.