pray for the congregation, and
writes this about, he says, this is the record. He writes, declared the Apostle
John, and this is the sum and the substance of all that is
written and preached. God, out of his pure, free grace,
is pleased to give unto us eternal life. This life is the spiritual
life lost in the fall. Life forever free from sin, sorrow,
and death. This life is in His Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. This life is not only purposed
in Him, promised through Him, and purchased by Him, but He
is that life. Colossians 3, 4. He that has the redeeming Christ,
the interceding Christ, the indwelling Christ, has life. Amen. I'd like to ask you to turn over
to the book of Peter, 1 Peter. I struggled with the message
this week for you to be honest with you. It's kind of strange
because I've had four days off. And during those four days, I thought about things, but I
didn't sit down once and study. It's not that I didn't have time.
I had plenty of time. I don't know, it was just something
I struggled to do. I got up this morning and I was
thinking about that as a message, and I may bring that message
one day, but for some reason it just, I could not, I just
could not put it into words. And so, look at the front of our bulletin
if you would. Before I say next what I want
to say, I want you to read this with me. This is in Romans. For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and
comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Kathy was busy about her way
this morning getting things ready. I was sitting there at the table
and I just didn't know what to do.
She looked over at me and she said, what's wrong? She could
tell there was something wrong looking at me. I just said, I
got nothing. It's not coming together. God
has been providing me every Sunday with something to say for two
years now. And I got up this morning and I just
did not come. Did I do something wrong? No. No. I was slothful, yes. I could have studied more, I
could have looked more into what I was thinking to preach on. God's will is always accomplished. We preach about a Lord who is
Lord. Do we not? Are not the scriptures
words of encouragement about who that Lord is? What he's done? and where He is right now as
Lord of all. No, our Lord didn't want me to
preach that message. That's why I struggled with it.
I'll save it for another day. Maybe He'll bless it some other
time. So what does Kathy tell me to
do? She says, John, Gene's been in that situation before. Pick
some Scripture and read it. So I turn to the book of Peter. I don't know how far we're going
to get, but I'm going to begin at the first epistle of Peter,
chapter 1, verse 1. And we're going to read. And
Lord willing, I'll have a few words to say as we go. an apostle of Jesus Christ. Now,
I'm going to stop right there and start saying something already.
Our Bible study that we're doing on Sunday mornings, we're on
our 79th lesson this morning, we'll be doing number 80 next
week. That's 80 weeks of this study that we've been following
along from Peter, from where he started as an apostle where
he was called by the seashore and how the Lord took him through
each and all the steps that he had to go through until he got
to this point where he declares himself an apostle of Jesus Christ. To the strangers, to God's people
who are scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia. And then he goes on in verse
2 and he declares them the elect. These strangers who are scattered
out all over the place elect those who are called according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father. God the Father chose
His children before the world ever was. He calls them My people. He calls you those that He has
called out of darkness. He says, you're my people. We are children of God, not by
anything that we have done, not by any action that we may do
in the flesh, but by the actions of our Lord and Savior. He's
the one who has made us and adopted us into the family of God. According to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, we were chosen in Christ. You know, Christ is
the High Priest. He's our High Priest. He's the
one who makes intercession for us right now in Heaven, is He
not? This High Priest, in the old days, the High Priest of
Israel, they would put on this plate on their chest. And on
that plate was the inscription of all the tribes of Israel.
That's a picture. of Christ, our high priest, and
all of his people written on his chest. It says in scripture
that our names were inscribed in the palms of his hands. Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father through how? Not through the works of man,
but through the sanctification of the Spirit. the holiness,
through being made holy. I know that's hard for us to
understand, isn't it? It's really hard for me to understand.
I won't even share with you the conversation that we were having
around the fellowship table earlier this morning, but it had to do
with a monkey and, well, OK, I'll leave it at that. Mike can
tell you later. It's his fault. He's the one who bought it for
his grandchild. See how quickly I blamed you on that, Mike? No, our being made holy is through
the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ. He who has made sin for us, that
we would be made righteous in Him. Through the sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ. Sprinkling of His blood on the
mercy seat. Grace unto you. Oh, here it is
folks, this is to you and I. This is to all of God's elect
throughout all time. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. And after Peter makes his introduction
according to who he is, who the elect are, who it is that he's
addressing, telling us praying for us that grace and peace be
multiplied unto us. He said, blessed be, in verse
3, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to His abundant mercy have begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. What is it we
read there? What was it we read on that from Romans? Whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning
that we, through patience and comfort of Scriptures... Oh,
how I pray the Scriptures this morning will bring peace and
comfort unto you. It did me. I felt lost this morning,
so lost, sitting there at my computer wondering, what am I
going to say about this? Where am I going to take this?
And the Lord just opened the door and said, here it is John,
just read Scriptures. And we have hope through Scriptures. A lively hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. You know why we have that lively
hope? By His resurrection because as God Almighty, death could
not hold Him. He must come to this world and
become flesh that He could die. God the Spirit can't die, but
God the Son could. Aren't you thankful? Our lively hope is in the resurrection
of our Savior Christ Jesus from the dead, because knowing that
He died for our sins, knowing that He took our sins into that
grave and left them there, that He bore our iniquities upon His
flesh, and that being resurrected, He left those sins right there
where they were in the grave. Our God looks upon us as though
we have never sinned. Blessed to be to this God and
Father of our Lord and Savior, which according to His abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, to an inheritance. An inheritance. People don't earn an inheritance.
I go out and work all my life. I'm about to retire. I've earned
my retirement. But when my parents pass away,
what I get is what they worked for. You ever take that into
consideration about an inheritance? This is an inheritance, this
life everlasting, these treasures of the Spirit. Oh, what a treasure it is, and
how precious it is, brother. It's an inheritance, though.
We cannot earn it for ourselves. Incorruptible. I don't know about
you, but anything I lay my hands on gets corrupted. Incorruptible. It cannot decay
is what that means. Undefiled and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you and I. This is the gospel. This is the good news for sinners. Christ came to save sinners.
And because He came to save sinners, we have an incorruptible inheritance
that will never fade away. We will spend an eternity with
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. People ask, or should make comments
about, you know, I wonder what's in heaven. I wonder what heaven
will be like, Bill and I. We have some pretty wild conversations
at times and I remember once we were talking about that very
thing and we both looked at each other and said, do you think
our Harleys will leak oil when we're there? What silliness. I know mine won't. A perfect inheritance that is
uncorruptible and undefiled. and it's reserved in heaven for
you and I." Verse 5, you and I who are kept, who are guarded
as that word means, fenced around, hedged up, kept by something
we have done? Is that what it says? No. No. Salvation is of the Lord,
every bit of it. We are kept by the power of God
through faith, through belief in our Lord and Jesus Christ.
Whosoever believeth in Him shall have everlasting life. We are
kept by the power of God through belief in our Lord and Savior
unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. We're in. Here it comes. wherein ye greatly
rejoice, though now for a season." Oh, we're just here as a vapor
in the wind, folks. Flowers come up and bloom. Well, in my case, stinkweed comes
up and blooms. That's the best. But it also withers away. We greatly rejoice knowing that
it is by God's grace in this season that we have as we walk
through this world. Look at the last half of verse
6. If need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations
as we walk through this world facing the sins of this flesh
that are ever before us. We greatly rejoice that our salvation
is in the Lord and in the Lord alone. The trials of our faith, as it
says in verse 7, being much more precious than the gold that perishes
through it being tried with fire, that it might be found under
the praise and the honor of glory. Do you know all these trials
that we go through? Do you know why Paul said he
could rejoice in his trials? Trials are when we were
the weakest. When we're dealing with troubles
in our lives, when something is putting pressure on us, whether
it be the government around us, the world around us, or maybe
if it's even something inside. You ever had that inside of you
where, oh, why am I doing that? Why am I thinking those thoughts? Why am I not trusting in my Lord?
Because that's how our Lord brings us to trust Him. He delivers
us right through the trial and out the other side. And even
if that trial takes us unto death, where are we delivered to from
there? We're delivered to heaven, receiving our inheritance in
full. We're reading in the book of Going Home by Don Fortner
on our Friday night Bible study, and oh, what a blessing it has
been I understand where Pastor Gene
says, I can't wait to go home. And I'm 20 years behind him,
at least. I understand where some of those
who are older than me can't wait to get there. Lamar Garner can't
wait to get there. It's right around the corner.
And put all these trials and stuff that we have behind us.
and spend eternity with our Lord and Savior. These trials being
tried with fire might be found under the praise and the honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. We're going to
get down on our hands and knees and say, thank you Lord. Thank you for that stuff that
I had to go through. Because all that you brought
me through during my life brought me to You. It drawed me. I don't know about
you folks, but when I came here the first time, I wasn't considering suicide,
but it was probably the next thing closest to it. I did not
want to live. I came here to cry on my brother's
shoulder. My older brother Leah, man, I love so much. He was always there when I needed
Him, and I needed Him that day. And He said, John, come in and
sit down, and we'll talk about it after church. And that was
all I ever said to Him from that point on. I just sat here, and
when I was done hearing what the Lord had laid on that man's
heart to preach, my life had changed. You talk about a trial
that drew somebody to Christ. That was a trial that I am thankful
for. I am thankful the Lord brought
me through that, because that brought me here. I could still
be out there, wandering around, living in the world of John,
doing the things that John wanted to do. Now I live for my Lord
and Savior, to praise Him, to thank Him, to look to Him, to
ask Him, Lord, what would You have me say this morning? Lord,
what would You have me do today? giving honor and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ. Verse 8, Whom having not seen ye love,
in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of
your faith, even the salvation of your souls. of which salvation
the prophets have inquired and searched, did He who prophesied
of the grace that should come unto you, searching 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? Do you know that Scripture has
been declaring the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer from the beginning
of time? There are many who have gone
into the Old Testament when the Lord created lightness and darkness. When the Lord created the earth
and are able to bring out Christ in those words. I'm not able
to do that, but I can tell you this, the very first blood shed
in Scripture was a picture of Christ for you and I. The very
first blood was shed to cover the sins of Adam and his wife
Eve. God took the skins of an animal
and covered them. But don't forget the first part
of that story was they tried to cover themselves, which didn't
work. They were still naked before
God. Our Lord has been portrayed throughout
Scripture. Verse 12, 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,
which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore, because
of those things, because of what the Apostle Peter just wrote,
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end
for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not fashioning
yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, But
as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversations, all manner of living, all manner of walk. Because it is written, Be ye
holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father,
who without respect of persons judges according to every man's
work, past the time for your sojourning here is near. For
as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received
by tradition of your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Our Lord knew
no sin, folks. He was made sin, yes, but you
can never call Him a sinner. He never sinned. Only a sinner
can sin. Don't ask me how to explain that.
I don't know. There are those much smarter than I that have
been trying for years and can't do much better than what I just
did. But I know this. My Lord is perfect in every way.
He is holy in every way. And because He is holy, I wish
to be holy. I know there's a day coming when
I will be perfectly as holy as He is. But until then, I rely
on Him. I count on Him. And if you call
on the Father, who without respect to persons judges according to
whoever man's work, pass the time of your surging here in
fear, for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things of silver and gold from your vain conversation,
that you received from tradition from your fathers, 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, that your
faith and hope might be in God. seeing ye have purified your
souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit." Did you notice that
it didn't say purifying your souls through the flesh? That's kind of interesting, isn't
it? The world is out there telling you, you've got to do this in
the flesh, you've got to do that in the flesh, if you don't do
this and you don't do that, you're not saved. This is talking about
purifying your souls. How do you do that? Whosoever
believeth in Him, Where was I? 22. Seeing you have purified
your souls in the obeying of the truth through the spirit
unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another
with a pure heart fervently, being born again not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever. Do you see how the word of God
brings us hope? Verse 24, For all flesh is as
grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth
forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached
unto you. Now all that was said, Wherefore,
because of all that we just read, laying aside all malice, and
all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
as newborn babes desire milk, desire the milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby. If so be ye have tasted that
the Lord is gracious. to whom coming as unto a living
stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious."
Remember what we read last week, how our Lord was not comely in
any way. Men did not seek Him as they
do this baby in the manger. Rejected of men, but chosen of
God and precious, as it says in verse 4, verse 5, ye also
as lively stones are built up in a spiritual house and holy
priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained
in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone,
elect precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded
unto you therefore which believe he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient
to stone, which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner." Aren't you thankful that he's the head
of our corner? Holding us up. Keeping us together. Hedging
us about. Verse 8, and a stone of stumbling.
What? And a stone of stumbling. What? We were talking about that this
morning. The gospel, including the depravity of man,
is absolute foolishness to the world. What do you mean I'm dead
in trespasses and sin? I go out and do good stuff. I've
never lied. I've never done this. You know,
there was a rich man who came to the Lord and he says, I've
done all that stuff that you told me to do. I feed the poor. I do this and do that. And the
Lord still had one more thing for me. He says, OK, give all
that you have away. And the guy left sadly because
he didn't want to give everything away. Christ and His sovereignty over
all that is, including the will of men, is a complete stumbling
stone to those who walk in this world thinking that they're alive,
thinking that they have a righteousness of their own, and a stone of
stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at
the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed."
They were appointed? Really? Is that what the Scripture
says? That's what it says, they were
appointed. For ordained. Hold your place
here for a moment, turn over to the book of Jude. Just a couple
of pages to the right. The book right before Revelation. Look at verse 3, Beloved, when
I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that
ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered
unto the saints. Now here's why. For there are certain men crept
in unawares who were before of old ordained, there's that word
again, ordained, to this condemnation. Ungodly men, turning the grace
of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God
and our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what free will does. That's what teaching free will
does. It takes the grace of God out of it. It's no longer the
grace of God that saves man, it's man who saves man. If it's
your free will and you have to make a decision, then you've
taken away the grace of God. Is that not correct? Back in our text. Being disobedient, whereunto
also they were appointed, but ye are a chosen generation. Verse 9, a royal priesthood.
and holy nation, a peculiar people that ye should
show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light. That's exactly what our Lord
did for Lazarus the day Lazarus lay dead in the tomb. Four days,
most assuredly, beginning to rot and smell, yet the Lord had
him roll the stone away and He said, Lazarus, come forth! Come forth! He was called out
of the darkness that he was in, a picture of every one of God's
children. As we walk through this world,
until the day that we hear His gospel preached for the first
time. And He calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Verse 10, Which in time past even were not a people, but are
now the people of God, which hath not obtained mercy, but
now have obtained mercy. Peter goes on to close this with
this, Dearly beloved, brothers and sisters, The very
elect that He just praised our Lord and Savior for all that
He had done us for. Dearly beloved, I beseech you
as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which are
war against the soul. Abstain from those things which
take your mind off of Christ and put them on your flesh. Abstain
from the things of counting on what you can do and start counting
on what the Lord can do. having your conversation honest
among the Gentiles. That whereas they speak against
you as evildoers, they may be your good works, which shall
behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves
to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be
to the King as the Supreme." And you can put anything in that,
by the way, folks. including president, including
governor, including boss, supervisor. Submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be of the king as a supreme,
or to governors, or to them that are sent by him for the punishment
of evildoers, for the praise of them that do well. For so
is the will of God. We'll keep going. We've got another
few minutes. For so is the will of God that
with well doing ye may put the silence of ignorance of foolish
men as free in not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness,
but as servants of God. Honor all men, love the brotherhood,
Fear God, honor the king. Servants, be subject to your
masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also
to the forward. For this is thanksworthy if a
man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if when
you be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But
if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently,
This is acceptable of God. For even here unto where ye called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that ye should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, he reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself unto him that judges righteously.
who his own self bear our sins and his own body on the tree,
that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose
stripes ye are healed. For ye were sheep as going astray,
but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. It's my prayer, folks, that the
Lord may have spoke to you through those, because I know that mine
was nothing more than stumbling. And to be quite honest with you,
isn't that what we all need? Is our Lord to speak to us through
His Word? His Word is the Word of life.
Not John's. His Word is the Word of life.
And I pray that the Lord was gracious to each and every one
of you this morning as we read His Word.