Turn back to 1 Peter chapter
1 if you would again. This morning I want us to look once again at the Redeemer
and His redemption. If I'm counting right, this will
be number 4. Look with me in verse 19 and
20. Rather, verse 18. For as much as you know that
you are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by 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."
Now, we've been seeing what believers know about the Redeemer and His
redemption. We know that we were redeemed. And we know that we were redeemed
by the blood of Christ. We know what we were redeemed
from. And we know what we were not
redeemed by. And we know that we were redeemed
by a sinless sacrifice, the Lamb of God. But we also know something else. If we look into the Word of God,
if we stop listening to men and women in false religion, we know
that this redemption in Christ was not an afterthought with
God. It was not a contingency plan
that had to be put in effect when man sinned and fell in the
garden. No. This was always the will
and purpose of God. It is not by accident. It is by God's action. And that's what he's telling
us in verse 20. When he speaks of Christ as that
precious blood, that Lamb without blemish and without spot, he
says, "...who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world but was manifest in these last times for you." The apostle in the book of Hebrews
refers to this redemption as eternal redemption. And if you listen to Peter's
description here of the Redeemer and His redemption in that 20th
verse, we are immediately confronted with something we have need of
knowing. He says, "...who verily," or
truly, "...who verily was for deigned." What an amazing word. And while it has to do in some
measure to this foreknowledge of God, God knowing absolutely
all beforehand, that word here means much more than that. It means appointed by God's decree. As a matter of fact, it is a
word that is very close akin to the word predestinate. It means to determine beforehand. And that is so contrary to the
false notions that permeate religion in our day and that are natural
to our fallen natures, ideas of free will, as if we determine
everything. But in truth, we determine nothing. and most especially as it pertains
to salvation." In other words, this has been known from all
eternity down to the very present. That this Lamb, that this Redeemer,
that this redemption of a people in Him and by Him, it was foreordained
of God. When the apostle writes in Ephesians
1 in verse 11, and he speaks of Christ the Redeemer, he says,
"...in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the
counsel of his own will." What a marvelous thing it is when
God the Spirit in grace comes to us and subdues that natural
rebellion. and teaches us with divine knowledge
and revelation this truth, that God works all things after the
counsel of His own will. And so those, Paul says, who
have obtained an inheritance, they have obtained it first of
all because they were predestinated to this according to Him who
works all things after the counsel of His own will. In other words, Christ as the
Lamb that is spoken of oftentimes and here in this verse. The Lamb, if you remember, is
described as a figure of things that were to come. And so what Peter is simply saying
here is this one, this description, this figure and picture that
was presented again and again in these sacrifices of the lambs,
they are called shadows, but there was the substance long
before these shadows were cast on earth. He was the one foreordained
from all eternity. And so in Romans chapter 8 and
verse 29, we find a word that is a close kin to it here. He
says, "...for whom He did foreknow." And always remember that with
that word for know is also the thought of for loved. You remember when the Bible talks
about Adam and Eve? And it tells us that Adam knew
his wife? Do you think he's talking there
about simply having some knowledge of his wife Eve? No, it means
that he was in an intimate relationship with her. He was in a relationship
of love. And this is used to describe
God's work toward His people. He says this, "...for whom He
did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."
And then again, in Romans chapter 11, we have that word that is
close akin also. He says, "...for God hath not
cast away His people which He foreknew." And then in this second
epistle of Peter, he says, "...Ye therefore, beloved, Seeing ye
know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away
with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." seeing that you know these things
before. God knew these things before. God determined these things before. He predestinated these things
before. And He determined and appointed
this One who is described as the Lamb of God to be the Redeemer
and to carry out the redemption and also determine those who
were to be redeemed by Him." And you see, nothing in time
has ever, or will ever, or could ever alter that. In other words,
what happens in time flows out of God's foreordination. It is caused by God's foreordination. And it is especially so in redemption. It is especially so in that which
pertains to Christ. And when He is described, even
as far back as the book of Proverbs, He is described there as wisdom. When you read the New Testament,
is Christ the wisdom of God? But as He's described as that
wisdom in Proverbs 8, He says, I was set up, I was appointed,
I was determined to be by God. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, wherever the earth was. He predates all
things. He was the Redeemer before even
one of the redeemed ones was born in this world. He was foreordained
of God. Listen to Micah chapter 5. He
says, "...but thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though thou be little
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come
forth unto me, that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings
forth have been from old, from everlasting." What's he talking
about? He's talking about Christ to
be born there in Bethlehem. But he's saying that is not his
beginning. He is from old, he is from everlasting,
and he was the one set up from everlasting, appointed and ordained
to be our Redeemer. So that Paul describes it in
this way in Ephesians 3. He said, it is according to the
eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. In other words, God's eternal
purpose all rests in and is bound up in the Lord Jesus Christ,
all that He purposed Him to be to His people. and all he purposed
to give them in the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. He says,
who was foreordained. But he doesn't just leave us
with that. He makes sure that we understand
something about our Redeemer and this glorious redemption
that we have in Christ. He goes on and He says this,
He says, "...who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world." Before the foundation of the
world. Now let me ask you this, do you
have any idea as to why that is so important? Do you have
any idea as to why in the Bible we find virtually that same phrase
again and again and again? Why is it there so many times
and why is it emphasized? I'll tell you why. It's because
it shows us that the redemption that is in Christ Jesus flows
out of God's grace. And that's why He gets all the
glory. You see, when we find out that
this redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ When we find
out that He was ordained the Redeemer, ordained the Lamb of
God, who alone can take away our sin, and we find out it was
all before the foundation of the world, that takes you and
me out of the picture. That assures that God gets all
the glory. Were you there? Men with their
little choices and their decisions and certainly their works, were
they involved in this equation at all? Paul says in Romans 8,
he said, where is boasting then? It is excluded. Because this
is all ordained of God, established by God, ordained of God, appointed
in Christ, the Lamb of God, the Redeemer, and therefore all the
glory goes to God. I've told you what I believe
to be one of the best tests I've told you this so many times,
one of the best tests of any of the doctrines we hear, the
teachings we hear, the so-called ministries we see, what is the
acid test? Does it glorify man or does it
glorify God? Turn back in John's Gospel to
chapter 17. John's Gospel. Because you see,
redemption in Christ is because of God's
everlasting love. Isn't it amazing how people like
to talk about the love of God? But they don't like to talk about
the love of God as it was demonstrated before the foundation of the
world. Now look here in John chapter
17 and verse 23. And I look here because not only
is Christ distinguishing His people, He's not only teaching
us about His redemptive work, But He's showing us also that
this redemptive work and His coming to this world to accomplish
it on our behalf is because of the love of God. Alright? He describes the people, He says,
that were given to Him by the Father. They were given to Him
out of the world. It says in verse 23, I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that
the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them as thou hast loved me." Now I can tell you this, you
and I will never plumb the depths of that statement. I hear all these silly songs
written about how much God loves us, or how much we love God. But when I read that last statement,
thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me, that's more than
I can fathom. Because I know the Father loves
the Son. I just don't know how much. But look at the next verse. If the Father loves us as He
loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and He loved Him before the foundation
of the world, He must have loved us before the foundation of the
world, before time ever began. before we ever breathed a breath
on this earth, before there was ever the first man created on
this earth, before the fall ever took place, before the cross
ever took place. This redemption flowed out of
the everlasting love of God before the foundation of the world. And in that same love, All of
His people were chosen and predestinated to salvation, to spiritual blessings,
every one. Look over in Ephesians chapter
1. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3. That's amazing because Peter
uses the same basic language here as Paul does. He said, "'Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings.'" in heavenly places, or in the
heavenlies, in Christ. Now, how many blessings? All
spiritual blessings. That takes out all notions of
separate reward. You're going to get a shinier
crown than me, or bigger house and mansion than me. That takes
all spiritual blessings in Christ. according as He hath chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world." When was this
love demonstrated in a choice before the foundation of the
world? He says, before the foundation of the world. God loved us and
chose us in Christ Jesus and appointed us to all spiritual
blessings. He says that we should be holy
and without blame before Him. And I've told you the most believed
that that statement actually ends right there. And that the
last two words of this verse in the King James actually begins
the next statement, which says, "...in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will." according to the good pleasure
of His will, determined beforehand, marked off beforehand. Not that
they should have the opportunity to become children, but predestinate
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. Verse 6 says, "...to the praise
of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved." He has graced us in the Beloved. Now I want you to
turn over to Revelation chapter 13. Revelation chapter 13. All that we read in the book
of Revelation shows the conflict between God and His people against
the devil and his people. It's kind of a panoramic, symbolic
picture of that conflict, that fight that goes on all throughout
time Between Christ especially and the wicked one. Between Christ's
people and those who have their Father as
the devil. But listen to Revelation chapter
13. Now, he describes the beast,
these symbols are just symbols of Satan, symbols of the religious
whore, the false church, symbols of the devil's power to deceive. All these things are just pictures
of these various things. The opposition against Christ
and His people. And it's strong. It's very strong. It's not the way most people
think, but it's very strong. It's by deception. It's by the
counterfeit that he offers. A false Christ. A false gospel. A false spirit. But look at what
it says. It says in verse 6 that this
beast, and this is how we know that it's not a monster like
we think of monsters. But it's a monster alright. spews
out. It says, "...and he opened his
mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his
tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto
him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and power
was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations." Now
notice verse 8, "'And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
Him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world.'" Who's going to succumb to this
beast? Who's going to be deceived by
this religious harlot that's pictured? Who's going to be brought
down and enslaved and kept and brought to eternal punishment
by all these things that represent Satan and his false gospel? Everyone will worship Him except
those whose names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life before
the foundation of the world." Now, one thing I want us to see
in this this morning is this. If you notice, this book, this
scroll as it actually is in the original, that was written Have
these names inscribed on it from the foundation of the world?
It's called the Book of the Lamb. And when He says the Lamb there,
He makes us to know that He's talking about the Redeemer. He doesn't say the King there,
though it could be. He doesn't say the Son of God
there, though that could be too. But these evidently, whose names
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life from before the foundation
of the world, they evidently were sinners who had to be redeemed
by the blood of the Lamb. This is the book of the redeemed. And how long have those names
been written in that book? How long has Jesus Christ been
that Lamb? before the foundation of the
world. He has to get all the glory.
You see, Christ's blood is described as the blood of the everlasting
covenant. Hebrews 9 says, "...neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us." That doesn't mean that they're just redeemed forever,
because eternity, is so much bigger than we can comprehend.
Eternity stretches as far back as we could ever imagine and
goes as far forward as we could ever imagine, and then you add
a lot to that. But when it says, having obtained
eternal redemption for us, look back at our text. He says, "...who
verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest." That word obtained in Hebrews
9 and verse 12 can also be translated and mean manifested. He manifested this eternal redemption
for us. He manifested. He was foreordained. He was foreordained the Redeemer. And this redemption before the
foundation of the world, but was manifested. Manifested. Listen to Paul in Romans chapter
16. He says, "...now to him that is of power to establish you
according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according
to the revelation of the mystery." One more time I want to remind
you of something. When we find that word mystery,
as it pertains to the gospel and the purpose of God. It does
not mean, as we think that word means in our use of it today,
it does not mean that which cannot be known. It means that which
to this time was not revealed. You see, when something is manifested,
it had to already exist And if it was manifested, it was having
existed, but now is made to be shown for what it is. It is a
mystery no more. He says, "...the revelation of
the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now
is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according
to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations
for the obedience of faith." All of this was made manifest.
It was revealed. It was all shown in time what
was purposed in eternity. It says that they might believe
it. That men and women might believe it. Ephesians 3, he says,
"...and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who
created all things by Jesus, Now let me tell you this, the
gospel. And it is such a shame that we
have to define all these words again and again, because they
become such misused words and terms in our day. The gospel. And by that I mean the gospel
of grace. That's what God says it is. The
gospel concerning His Son. The gospel which is the gospel
of His sovereign grace. I'll be gracious to whom I'll
be gracious. This gospel is not anything new. It's not anything new. And yet,
it is so foreign in our day that when you preach it, you would
dare to take a verse like we're looking at this morning and preach
the truth of it. Where did that come from? Oh,
he's preaching some new thing. No, it's called the everlasting
gospel. It's like the old preacher said,
If it's new, it isn't true. And if it's true, it isn't new
before the foundation of the world. But now it's made manifest. There's never been but one gospel. You can try to chop the Bible
up in parts and dispensationalism all you want to. But there's
always, from the very beginning, just one gospel. And God Himself
is the first to demonstrate it. when He slew those sacrifices
and clothed Adam and Eve with those skins." That's the only
way we could ever be covered? That's the only way of righteousness?
That's the only way? That's God's way of salvation
in the Lamb. Colossians 1, Paul says, even
the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generation,
but now is made manifest to His saints." I wonder how many times
over the last 30 plus years somebody has said to me, well, Preacher,
I just don't see it the way you see it. I don't doubt it. I don't doubt it. I hope you
will. I hope that God will open up your eyes. Not because this
is the way I see it, but because this is the way it is. This is
the way He says it. But it's made manifest to His
saints. To those that He separated unto
Himself in Christ before the foundation of the world. Turn
over just a second to Timothy. 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9. mentioned the power of God. He
says in verse 9, "...who has saved us and called us with an
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began, but is now made manifest." by
the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death
and hath brought life and immortality to light." When something is
manifest, it's brought from the dark to the light. "...who hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel." If you ever see
the true Christ, if you ever know the true Redeemer, if you
ever find out anything about this true redemption, it will
be through the gospel. It won't be through somebody
standing up and giving you one illustration right after the
other. It won't be by funny stories. It won't be by entertainment. It won't be by Word studies of
Greek words that go on for week after week after week, it will be the gospel. The gospel. Look over in Titus
chapter 1. Titus chapter 1. Paul begins to tie this in chapter
1, he says, "...Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus
Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging
of the truth which is after godliness, in hope of eternal life, which
God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." but
hath in due times manifested his word through preaching which
is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our
Savior." Now, I know one thing. Paul preached
the gospel. When Christ was revealed to him
and he found out what he was not redeemed by, He preached
the gospel. And in that gospel was manifested
Christ, the Redeemer, and His redemption. Galatians 4, when
the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son,
made of a woman, made under the law. At that time appointed,
He made manifest the Redeemer and His redemption. Hebrews 1,
the Apostle begins in that second verse of chapter 1, God hath
in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. He manifested. John said, "...for the life was
manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show
unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was
manifested unto us when Christ came." Hebrews 9, "...for then
must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world,
but he has in these last days." suffered once. John says, and
you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in
Him is no sin. What did He come for? Why was
He manifested? He's the Redeemer, to redeem us from our sins. John
again in 1 John 9, "...in this was manifested the love of God
toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the
world that we might live through Him. And herein is love, not
that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son, the
propitiation for our sins." He was manifested. He was foreordained. It was before the foundation
of the world, but in that appointed time, it was manifested. When was that? Peter says, in
these last times. These last times. All these prophecy
mongers, they're always trying to scare people concerning the
last times. Do you know what that is? That
is the deception of the last times. You look always ahead
and you don't see what's going on right now. What has you in
its grasp? Give me a chart. I've got to
get all this in Revelation and Daniel. I've got to get it all
in order. No, you don't. God's had it in order from old
eternity. And all it is is something to
keep you from looking to the true Christ. Believing on Him
in these last times. And the last times are simply
the days between the first coming and the second coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And listen, friends, we're already
over 2,000 years into that. But He hath in these last days
spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all
things, and by whom also He made the world." When Christ came
to suffer, He came to suffer once in the end of the age. What was written? Paul, just
like Peter. Peter said, who were led by the
Spirit of God to write what they wrote, pin down what they pinned
down. All the prophecies concerning
Christ, He said it wasn't for them, it was for us. Now all these things happened
unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition
upon whom the ends of the world are come." He's manifested in
these last times. And then he says, for you. For you. When will we ever learn
that the purpose of God, and the will of God, and the Redeemer
of God, and the redemption of God, it is not something in some
abstract, impersonal sense. He said, Christ. was that Lamb,
that redemption, that perfect sacrifice for sins forever, foreordained
before the foundation of the world, and has manifested in
these last times for you." Who's he talking to there? Well, I
know this, he's talking about a particular redeeming work for
a particular people. That's all Christ ever talked
about. I lay down my life for the sheep. Well, in verse 2,
they're described as the elect of God. This epistle is actually
a letter that was written to the people of God in Peter's
day. But the Spirit of God was really
writing it to the people of God from that day forward until Christ
comes. The people who would live in
the last times for you. They're elect of God. That means
they were chosen of God. Predestinated to be conformed
to the image of Christ. Accepted totally and completely
in Christ. Given to Christ. They were redeemed
by Him through the shedding of His blood on that cross. He purchased
them with the ransom price of His blood, His sacrifice. I can't look in that book of
life, can you? I can't just say, well, I think
I'm one of God's elect. Or as that woman told me one
time after I preached something like this, she said, I always
knew I was something special. I thought, my, my. But look at
this 1 Peter 1 and verse 21. Who are they? Those who by Him. Now that means two things at
least. That means through Christ. You don't believe in God apart
from this Redeemer. But it also means by Him, by
His enablement, they do what? Believe. Believe. I'll tell you this right now.
I've never believed before. I believe it. I believe Him.
Believe in what you Have you believed in the past? There's
no hope in that. Like that man, it was good for the day, no good. This is the one I believe in
right here. That's what I believe. I believe
in Him. I believe in this redemption that's not accidental, but it's
on purpose. I believe in this redemption
that's all by His grace. I believe in this redemption
that is not of works lest we should boast. I believe in this
redemption that's eternal, established, determined by God before the
world began, and if so, cannot fail. Because it's between the
Godhead, who by Him, to believe in God,
that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your
faith and hope might be in God." Now, what's your faith and hope
in? If it's in anybody or anything
other than Christ and what He did, it's not faith at all, and
therefore it cannot be hope at all. Faith and hope look to this Redeemer. He is
our hope. This is not accidental. But we
praise and give glory to God who looked upon us and loved us and chose us in
Christ Jesus before the world began. He wrote our names in
that book, the Lamb's Book of Life. And the only way we could
be in a Book of Life is through the Lamb, through His redeeming
work. He gets all the glory and all
the praise. Father, this day we thank You
for Your great mercy stated so clearly in Your Word yet always
beyond our complete comprehension. But we read these verses, these
words, and we are filled with awe at the fact that you would
love sinners such as we are, that you'd even be mindful of
us before we ever were, and put us in that everlasting covenant,
entrust us totally to the hands of our Redeemer, who was made
manifest and did in truth redeem us by His blood from among men
to God out of every kindred, tribe, and tongue. Thank you,
Lord. Thank you for your mercy to us,
that mercy that is in Christ. We pray and we thank you in His
name. come before you by His priestly
work, through His blood and righteousness. Amen.