He is able to deliver thee. That's a good hymn, a fitting
hymn, isn't it? What we were talking about. I
can't help it. I can't do this. No, we can't. But He's able. He's able. And by sin oppressed. Go to Him. All right, back to 1 Peter 1.
If you like just plain, old-fashioned, simple gospel preaching, this is what this will be, I
hope. And though you know these things,
all of these things, most of you, before, Yet, to me, to preach
the same things is not grievous. So this is what I rejoice in. Now, of all the apostles, I believe
I can best relate to Simon Peter. I know many of you feel the same
way. He was one of God's own, yet he was up and down, wasn't
he? Hot and cold, bold at times, and other times And in Peter's epistle or letter
that he writes to the church after the Lord went back to glory,
you can hear his life story. You remember one of the last
things that Peter did was deny his Lord. He proudly boasted
that everyone else would deny him but himself. So, the Lord
dealt with him, didn't he? And he was the first one to deny
the law. But he was also the first one
for the Lord called by name. Go tell the disciples and Peter.
And so, when Peter sat down to write his first letter, inspired
by God, the first epistle of Peter to
God's people who were a bunch of sinners. just like Peter.
Peter just starts out talking about we're chosen, we're set
apart, we've been redeemed, we're blessed, we've been kept by the
power of God. That's Peter's life story. That's
the story of every sinner. The story of every sinner. Intend
to just dwell on verse two, but I don't know, maybe we'll go
on. I don't know. We'll see how it goes. OK, like Martin said,
I've got some notes, but I hope I don't have to use them. He addresses this, verse one,
Peter. He doesn't. He doesn't call himself
Reverend Peter. He doesn't call himself Pope
Peter, Father Peter, just Peter. And I can listen to a man like
that. He's just Peter. An apostle of Jesus Christ. That is, a messenger of Jesus
Christ. He's the one that chose me to go with the message, and
he is the message. A messenger of Jesus Christ to
the strangers scattered throughout, and he mentions five places. And we could easily put the name
Rocky Mountain there. Very easily. Or CrossFit or wherever. Strangers. You see, this is not
written to any particular church, but to the church in general.
All over. Strangers to him. That is, believers that Peter
did not know. He didn't know me. He didn't
know Stan. He didn't know anybody. This is written to us. We're
strangers yet to him. We're not strangers to God. And
not strangers to the truth. Strangers to the covenant. Once
they were, but not anymore. See that? Who he's talking to?
To the strangers. This is written to us. I'm so
thankful that this letter is written. He goes on. Verse 2. He addresses his letter.
That's who he's addressed it to. Believers throughout. Elect,
he said. I'm writing to the elect. According to the foreknowledge
of God, elect according to the foreknowledge of God. Now, Peter, you don't begin preaching like
this. You don't, if you want to get
people saved, you don't begin preaching about election. And
if Peter would answer, he'd say, I'm not trying to get people
saved. I'm preaching to the elect whom
God has saved. Speaking to the elect. This is where Peter began. Because
this is where our salvation began. With God's choice of us. That's what Peter knows. Then
go back to John Chapter 6 with John Chapter 6. Peter knew this
well. All of God's people know this
well. He's not. that I did choose thee, for,
Lord, thou couldst not be. For if thou hast not chosen me,
I would never have chosen thee." Every one of God's people know
who chose them. They know it well. Peter knew
this. He was just a fisherman out on
his boat one day. He wasn't interested in God. He certainly wasn't interested
in that Galilean teacher named Jesus. He'd heard about him,
but he didn't care anything about him. His boat and his nets were
his life. It was with James and John. David
knew this. Paul knew this. Abraham knew
this. All of God's people knew this,
know this. Who chose whom? Look here at John chapter 6.
Our Lord keeps reminding his apostles of this, and us. Verses
66 and following, it says, From that time our Lord spake some
hard things. And from that time, many of his
disciples, that is, those who profess to believe him, went
back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the
twelve, will you also go away? And then Simon Peter, one of
the few times he spoke up, and it was good. But he speaks on
behalf of all of us, doesn't he? Right here, Peter. He said,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Why? Now that's the words of
life. I was dead until you called me
to life. I was dead in trespass and sin
until you quickened me by your word, by your power. I was lost
till you found me. And we believe, where would we
go? To whom would we go? Why, we
believe and are sure that thou art that Christ. That Christ? The Christ, the true Christ. The son of the living God. Do
you believe that? Do you believe that Wesley Barr
Hudson? Ron Barr Fannin? John Barr Davis? Our Lord said that to Simon Barr
Jonah. I mean, son of flesh and blood
didn't reveal it to you. And our Lord said after Peter
made that profession, he says, Have not I chosen you twelve? I chose you. I elected you to
believe this. I elected you to believe this.
Right here in this one verse, we have the threefold work of
God in salvation. Right here. If you wanted a short,
concise verse to speak to somebody, About what salvation is right
here. Right here, we have election by the father. Sanctification
by the Holy Spirit. And redemption by the son right
here. This is the gospel in one word. And he begins by saying
by election, because that's where this gospel, the gospel of God
began. With God Almighty choosing a
people. He says in our text, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Simply put, God in eternity
past, before the world began, had in his mind, that's what
foreknowledge is, in his mind he had certain individuals that he set his love upon. that he says affect you know
that he purposed to save in time. At work was it just a few. It
was a people more than the stars and skies and the city less anybody
accusing of being. Miserly with his mercy. For knowledge of God. Our Lord said this in John thirteen,
I know whom I have chosen. The scripture says the foundation
of God standeth sure the Lord knoweth them that are his. Knoweth
them. Now some ignorantly. The haters
of the truth ignorantly say something like that. That God look for
knowledge is God look down through time. and saw who would believe
on him that he knew who would believe. That's for now. And therefore, he elected them.
Now, that doesn't even make good sense, does it? Huh? How's he know they'll believe?
Couldn't something happen that they wouldn't believe? Oh, he
knew. He knew that they would. How? Someone wisely said for something
to be certainly foreknown without doubt that it. It must absolutely
come to pass at most absolutely. And for something to absolutely
come to pass. It must have been ordained. Purpose
fixed. They elect according to the foreknowledge
of God is foreknowledge of God is is similar to when it says
in the garden that when When God Almighty brought Eve to Adam, it says He knew her. The two became one. It was love
at first sight. They embraced. The two became
one. They became intimately acquainted with one another. And God Almighty
did that with His people before they ever came here. He was intimately acquainted
with them, had his love and affection set upon them. They don't deserve
it. In time, they're going to be sinners and unlovely and not
worthy of the love of God. But this is the love of God.
This is the glory of God. This is to the praise of the
glory of his love, that he would set his love upon such miserable
creatures. Jacob, have I loved? Esau, have
I hated? We don't have any trouble understanding
why God would hate Esau. The world doesn't. We don't.
Because Esau despised God, despised everything that had to do with
God, and he sold it for a bowl of beans. Just like the rest, most of the
world today is doing. Selling their soul for a NASCAR
race. I don't have any problem seeing
how that God could hate people. Do you? I hate him. But God loved Jacob. That's an amazing grace of God,
amazing love of God. And he had to set his love on
Jacob, because Jacob was going to be born like Esau. Jacob was
going to grow up like Esau. Jacob was going to be like Esau.
But God, and like I said, who needs notes? But God set his
love upon him, and in due time, He would set him apart by his
Holy Spirit. And he's one of the redeemed
of the Lord Jesus Christ, one whom God loves. Elected, elect
according to the foreknowledge of God. And here's a good way
to understand this, too. Over in Matthew, chapter seven,
when the Lord said, don't you have to turn there? Matthew seven,
the Lord said to some. The Lord said to some. Depart
from a unit workers of iniquity. I never knew you. You mean he did not know what
they would do he did not understand did not foresee did not when
the point I never loved you I never chose. And that's why we say when we
come to the doctor and that's what the election week. This
is much so much more than a doctor and this is as far as a person
choosing persons and the persons of his choice are absolutely
amazed that he would choose. I don't think the ship of all
who and what is my. Who am I? King David would choose
me and set me at his table. I had a bunch of brothers. He
could have chosen any one of them, but he chose me. He fetched
me and brought me to his table and sat me down and made me as
one of the king's sons. Who am I? He was amazed at God's
sovereign elect, David's election of him. And so is every Mephibosh. Amazed. Far from arguing with
it or rejoicing. that God would choose them like
an ugly bride and the most handsome beautiful man on earth would
choose them. And every one of God's people
are ugly bride. But he makes them you and his
time. And for knowledge of God elect,
that's how Peter starts it. And this language is is woven
throughout scripture, woven into the speech of God's Word, and
every believer, this Word is woven into their speech. Elect!
That's what Christ calls His elect. Shall not God avenge His
elect? Because this gives glory to God,
doesn't it? Gives all the glory to God in
salvation. The choice was His. Have not I the right to do with
my own what I will? He did. And the foreknowledge
of God, God Almighty said His love, and read on. Says this
is, he said, I'm writing to the elect according to the foreknowledge
of God, the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit. Those who have
been set apart by God's Holy Spirit. Now, everyone whom God Almighty
elected before the world began, everyone whom God Almighty set
his love and affection on before the world began, in a covenant,
that is, in an agreement that he made with his Son, and yes,
the Holy Spirit was there too. He gave all of those people,
those persons, to the Son and to the Spirit. Yes, to the Spirit.
to work out this salvation, because they're going to be born sinners,
dead and trespassing in sin, and they're going to live in
sin, and something's got to be done about their sin. God is
holy. What he said, be ye holy as I
am holy. Something's got to be done about their sin. Their sins
have separated them from God, and God Almighty's purpose is
for them to be with him in his holy heaven. and purpose that
they be holy like he is. Now, how's this going to take
place? Well, he gave them to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Now, here it mentions the Holy Spirit first, doesn't it? Well,
in time, they're born. In time, they're born. Jacob
and Esau were born, weren't they? Children being not yet
born. Neither having done any good
or evil. But the purpose of God, according to the election, might
stand. It was said of her, the elder shall serve the younger,
as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Before they were born, he chose them. And after they're born,
as I said, they grow up as sinners. Jacob's no different than Esau.
But God's going to make a difference. God's going to make a difference. And he gave Jacob, and he gives
all his people to the Holy Spirit to sanctify. Now, I'm making this as everyone here,
most everyone in here has heard all of this before. But some haven't. I'm not going
to take for granted that everyone has. Sanctification means this. It means to be set apart for
holy use. It means to make holy. That is,
set it apart, consecrate it, make it holy. All right? The Holy Spirit is what he's
called. Spirit. God is Spirit. The Holy
Spirit. These people of his, of God's,
are born sinners. Something's got to be done. that
a Holy Spirit knows who the elect are. Someone argued one time with
Charles Spurgeon, they said, and this is what they all argue,
they're still arguing today. They said, well, if you believe
only elect will be saved, then won't you just preach to the
elect? And Spurgeon said, I would if they had a big E on them.
I would, I wouldn't bother to preach to anybody else. Why bother? But we don't know. That's why
we preach, he says, go into all the world and preach the gospel.
And we preach to every human being we can. We don't know who
the elect are, but the foundation of God stands assured. The Lord
knoweth them that are his. And in this preaching of the
gospel, it's not begging, it's not pleading, it's not bribing,
it's not doing this and entertaining. It's just the preaching of the
truth. What truth? Election. who God is, what God
hath done. And lo and behold, the Holy Spirit
takes this word and powerfully moves on the elect. And they hear this about God's
right to be God, about God's choice of people, about who we
are, unlovely sons of Jacob. And they hear and they believe. Who believes election? Why, the
elect do. Who does it? Who argues with
it? Who hates it? The non-elect. And they hear this, and this
is the setting apart of the Holy Spirit. I like to use this illustration. I've used it a hundred times.
I don't have a better one. If you can come up with a better
one, I'll use it. But this setting apart is just like a cowboy of
old who's got a herd of cattle in a pen, and he knows them all. But he's got his brand on some
of them. He knows which ones are his,
or else, if they're not branded, he's going to. And he gets on his horse, his
cutting horse. And may I use this simple illustration? May I? I'm not being too familiar
here at all, but the Holy Spirit is that means of God. That's
where he is, to separate his people. To cull them out of the herd.
The Lord knoweth them that are here. And here's a crowd of people.
God knows who the elect are. God tells the preacher, and God
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, and where else
did I not do that? God said, this is how I saved my elect.
This is how I called them out. This is how I set them apart,
sanctified by the truth, the gospel of truth. And the preaching
goes forth, and the Holy Spirit hones in on one of them, or two
of them, three of them, and you're not getting away. According to Brother Kelley,
according to how good the cowboy is, that cat's not getting away.
Or how good the horse is, right? You're not getting, hands you
in, you're not, you go here, you go here and there, I can't
get away from this. I was running, you're not getting
by. This Holy Spirit is invincible.
We talk about the irresistible grace, the irresistible spirit
of God. That means he's sovereign. That
means everybody that God Almighty chose and he sets his purpose
on to set apart, he gets his man. The scriptures even use
the term, drawn with cords. Lassoed by the gospels of your
mind. No, no. Yes, you are. And quite often at first they
might kick a little bit. Kick against the pricks, right?
I'll go solid target, huh? But you can't go anywhere. You
can't go anywhere. And he gets you and he binds
you up with the truth. The girdle of truth binds you
up. And he takes this big E and rams you. My elect. You're mine forever. And puts you in a Pitching a
pen with all the rest of them with big E's on them. And what's the difference between
that one and this one? It's got an E on it. But in time, the Holy Spirit grants repentance, acknowledgment
of their sin, report God, It's thee and thee only have I sinned
and done this evil on thy side. God be merciful to me, the sinner.
They never even thought about God before. Now they see who
God is. They see what they are. A new
life has happened. They've been born from above.
Seen by this incorruptible seed. The Word of God which liveth
and abideth forever. And this is the Word which by
the Gospel preached unto you. The good news that God chose
you. The good news that the Holy Spirit set you apart. Told you
out of the herd. Plucked as a bran from the burning.
And the good news that Jesus Christ shed his precious blood
for the redemption of your soul. And you know you're not redeemed
with corruptible things such as silver. Only God's people
know that. Who knows that, that they're
not redeemed by their choice of choosing Jesus, by their morality,
by their keeping the law, by their turn over a new leaf, by
their this, by their that. Who knows that? God's people
all know that. know that. They know there's
one thing that redeemed their soul. It was the blood of Jesus
Christ. That's what the next thing says.
It says they were sanctified of the Spirit unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. God chose them. The Holy Spirit
set them apart unto obedience and the sprinkling Of the blood
of Jesus Christ unto obedience, thus. And I'm just going to be
a few more minutes. Keep it brief. This obedience. That they're. Chosen. To and set apart. Unto is threefold,
OK? This is what everyone of God's
elect. They've been chosen to have imputed
to them. Now, I never get tired of this. Some men preach it in such a
way that it's just old, dead, dry doctrine, and I don't want
to do that. Nevertheless, the whole fourth
chapter of Romans is about this. that God had chosen to impute
to them, that is charged to their account, the perfect obedience
of Jesus Christ. I'm looking for a reaction. I
mean that God Almighty just totally wipes clean their whole slate
of their sin totally completely forgives them of all iniquity. What he did with that is he imputed
that or transferred that or charged that to Jesus Christ, their substitute. And he who kept the law perfectly,
whom God is well pleased with, who obeyed his law the spotless
love and obedience of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He said, I always
do those things which please my Heavenly Father. And He took
that perfect obedience and put it on the head of a rebel. And
God Almighty said, well, please, you've obeyed my God. Not me. No, not you. He did it. But I've
imputed it to you. I've given you everything He
earned. And I'm giving Him everything
that you earned, which is what? Death, the wages of sin is death
and God laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Far from a doctrine. This is amazing grace is what
this is. Amazing that God Almighty would
charge Christ with something He did not do and charge me with
something I did not do. elect to receive the credit for
obedience that you had nothing to do with. Yeah, I tell you, I'm close to
tell him what that is. Not yet. Hadn't been done, or
half hadn't been done. And this is obedience to the
faith. Paul talked about this in Romans 1, obedience to the
faith. What does that mean? Belief of
the truth. Belief of what all we've been
talking about. Obedience to the faith. The faith
of God's elect. The faith once delivered to the
saint. The faith that all of God's people have. The common
faith. Every one of them believe the
same thing. Every one of God's elect. Everyone
whom the Holy Spirit sets apart. They believe the truth. The whole
truth. And nothing but the truth. So
help them God. They do. You can't convince them
otherwise. You can't feed them a lie. The
stranger's voice they won't hear. They obey the truth. Peter said, See, you have purified
your souls in obeying the truth. I believe the truth. And most of the world hates it. Why do we love it? Because God
chose you. That's why. If God had not chosen to reveal
the truth to you, you'd hate it. If the Holy Spirit hadn't
set you apart. My brother and I sat under gospel
message after gospel message after gospel message after...
Jacob and Esau. He hates the truth. I love the
truth. Who maketh thee to differ? And you could say, I haven't even touched this blood
of Christ. My, my. But disobedience is also,
it says threefold. Obedience to the imputed, obedience
to the faith, and obedience as children. God makes them. They
were once children of wrath, even as others. Children of disobedience,
weren't they? You make some obedient children. Now they're not perfect. Any more than yours. But they're
obedient children. They want to do. And for the
most part, they do what their father tells them. They love
it. And they mourn when they don't.
And they're chasing when they don't. But they're obedient children. God doesn't have any rebels.
who hate the truth or hate his commandment are not read a lot. All right let's go on he says. And to obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ. Now along with that biggie they've
got blood all over. The precious blood you Peter
went on to say the precious blood of Christ that means it's rare
it's valuable I mean one drop of it infinite value of the blood
of the lamb as without spot, without blame. You've got to
have a lamb. Every man has to have a lamb to make it count.
When he sees the blood, when God sees the blood, he'll pass
over you. The wrath of God abides on the children of ungodliness.
God is angry with the wicked every day. God is going to come
through this Egypt and destroy it at midnight. But he said,
when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Every child of God,
every one of the children of Israel, realize they know why
God spared them. The blood of Jesus Christ. The
blood on the cross, the doorpost, and the metal. That's why. The Lamb of God.
Behold, the Lamb of God. And so he says to the elect,
to strangers, us, to the sanctified, to those who have had the blood
of Christ to plight them. He says grace unto you. Super abounding. Sovereign electing. Saving. Keeping. Eternal. Grace me unto you. Grace me. You know it's a shame we have
to qualify what that means isn't it? But because of how the world
is so misused and abused it. And made it, made grace to be
an offer by God. Grace is just an offer, they
say, that God offers to all people. And it's what they do with it.
It's how they improve it that saves them. That's blasphemy. Utter blasphemy. Charles Spurgeon
said grace is something that's done to you. Not offered to you. And for those of you who have
been elect and set apart and had the blood of Christ applied
to you, obey the truth of grace unto you. Sovereign, saving, electing,
eternal, effectual grace, the gift of eternal life is unto
you and be multiplied. It's going to continue. Nancy,
give us more grace. You're going to need grace, sinners
that we are, sons of Jacob that we are. A few more years, at
least, to live. We're going to need grace or
we'll fall away. Ah, but grace. Multiply. Multiply grace. How much do you need? He's a
God of all grace. He'll never run out. Unto you,
you. And peace. Peace with God. That's what Christ
obtained. Peace within. This gospel is
the only gospel My pastor and Scott Richardson
were driving along in a car one day. And they began to talk to
each other. This was years ago. And dad said to him, Brother
Scott, what is it that we say we believe the gospel and others
say they have the gospel. What is it? How can we be sure that our gospel
is the gospel of God? You know brother Scott you know
man a few words and I both sat there and they both came up with
several reasons and I'll not be able to recall them all. But they said brother Scott said
I believe that our gospel is the gospel because number one.
It gives all the glory to God almighty. And they went on and on. About
it's the gospel that actually saved the center and actually
saved and brought to it it does it's that's how I know God's
got. And another was it changed by
the chief said no matter how bad. It's able to. And one of those. things was
it gives peace. It's the only gospel there is
that actually gives peace, rest. The whole world out there trying
this, trying that, doing, running here, running to and fro, trying
this religion, trying that religion. Oh, but God, God Almighty sets
you apart and causes you to hear the gospel. You'll sit right
there. It'll make you to lie down. and restore your soul and give
you peace. So this is it. You won't say,
I've found it. You'll say, it found me. Now
I have peace. Peace with God. Peace of heart,
mind, conscience, because this thing's been settled. And peace
with one another. God's ordained peace. Peace with
one another. I remember old Brother Joe, when
God was, the Holy Spirit was calling you all out of that mess
over there. He told me this, Nancy. And after one of those
knock-down, drag-out fights, Brother Joe went home and sat
on the edge of the bed, and Nancy said he just wept. And he said,
it's got to be better than this. And in all the years I knew him
here, I rarely saw him without a smile on his face. Starts here, just peace on earth,
goodwill to his people, and it just continues right on unbridled,
undisturbed forever. An inheritance said is undefiled,
fade it not away. It's not going to be molested
forever. Waiting on you. Rest in peace. All right, may God get the glory
from that. Brother Gabe.