The Glory That Should Follow

Turn with me to the book of 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 1. Verse 1, he writes, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God. That word can be used as foreknowledge, that is, what God foreknows, or foreordination. It's the very same word in the original. And that tells us that what God foreknows is what God foreordains. That's what's going to happen. They're elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit and obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you're in heaviness, through manifold troubles, temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, you love. in whom though now you see him not, yet believing, you 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 diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, 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. 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 to you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, 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 or desires in your ignorance.

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy at all manner of conversation. Because it's written, be ye holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without respect to persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.

Do we fear God? We better. We better. And the scripture said the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Beginning of wisdom. For as much as you know that you weren't redeemed with corruptible things of silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ 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 from the dead, and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God. We'll stop right there. I guess I could save us all some time and just say ditto to the Sunday school lessons and move on.

I originally titled this message The Revelation of Jesus Christ. I'm using verses 12 and 13 as my text. in the portion that I read to you out of 1 Peter 1. But I think I'd rather title the message, The Glory That Should Follow, because that's the heart of it. So I invite you to turn back there with me to those verses that I read earlier. And just hold your place there. I want to say some things to you before I get into the message.

The epistle of Peter is absolutely amazing to me. All of the word of God is amazing, but scriptures, a portion here and there, really relate to individuals. I see in this man myself. And that's the case in the book of Peter. It sets what he's writing in a whole new light. Salvation is by grace. Every minute, every hour, every day of my life is a testimony to the grace of God.

Provenient grace going before faith, preserving us, keeping us from death, keeping us from just destroying ourselves. I look at myself. I have no education to speak of. No history of godliness, no honored achievements, no record of good behavior. I'm a sinner being saved by grace. That's my story. They said, well, what's your story? That's my story. I'm a sinner being saved by grace. I'm a brand plucked from the burning. I'm like Barabbas laid in that prison until the guards came and said, you're free to go. How can that be? Another's been chosen to die in their stead. That's my story.

I was raised in false religion, self-righteous works religion, and I failed miserably even at that. And because of a word spoken by a man whose motives were more than questionable, I began to look at the subjects that he witnessed to me about. God's absolute total sovereignty over all things. God's election of all those that he's going to save. And I began to look into the word of God for the first time with a real want to understand what this man was saying to me. It's funny, I never questioned the works religion. I never questioned anything in there. I couldn't find it in the word of God, I couldn't find it anywhere, and I just figured I was too stupid to understand it, and went on. Over time, the Lord arranged for me to hear the gospel, and hearing this gospel transformed my life, turned me around, set my path in a whole new direction.

What happened? What I heard set before me the revelation of Jesus Christ. For the first time in my life, I understood who this man was, and why he came, and what he did, and where he's at. For the first time in my life, I understood that God saved sinners through the person and work of his son.

I understood substitution, I understood union with Christ. All these were just words that I heard. They meant nothing to me. Now I begin to understand what he's talking about. The revelation of Jesus Christ. First time in my life I saw that salvation was altogether in a person. The gospel is a declaration of the person.

We go in here hunting for messages. Don't hunt Don't go in here hunting for a sermon. You're not going to find it. This book is a testimony of God concerning his son. That's what I want to find. What's God saying about his son? That's what I need to hear. That's where salvation is.

The gospel is a declaration of the person and work of Jesus Christ and it's not about making me a better citizen. I will be if I believe in God. Grace will make me a better citizen, but that's not what's behind it. Not going to make me a better husband, although it will, but that's not what's behind it. Not something that's going to make me stand out in the world. It's about saving my worthless soul for the glory of God. God manifesting the glory of His grace and mercy and love for sinners. chosen center, predestinated to the adoption of children, being truly righteous before God.

That word righteous was a byword in the religion I grew up in. And I tell you, every time I said it, I could taste the hypocrisy of it. I knew I wasn't righteous my soul. Righteous before God? Really? Look yourself in the mirror and say that word righteous. You can't look yourself in the face. I was anything but righteous.

Sanctified, declared to be a saint, approved of God, ratified by God. This is my son. Listen to what this old common fisherman writes to us. And this is where I have such a a relation to Peter. I see myself in this man. He was a fisherman. Paul spent his life in the books. Peter spent his life in the boat. There's a difference, isn't there? Oh, my soul.

And he writes to the strangers scattered throughout the known world. Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia. Strangers is not talking about folks that he didn't know But he uses it in the same sense that Paul uses the word over in Ephesians chapter 2, talking about Gentiles being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise. He's describing me. He's describing you, if you be a believer. Strangers.

Now listen to me, I never in my wildest dream ever considered myself to be chosen of God. Did you, if you grew up in religion, did you ever think about God choosing you out of humanity and setting you apart for his glory? I never entered into my thinking. It never entered into my thinking that God had made a covenant on my behalf before he ever created anything or anybody. that the triune God made a covenant, not for the general public, but for me as an individual, wrote my name, wrote my name on the breast of his high priest, on his shoulder to bear me up before God. None of this stuff ever entered into my thinking.

Paul said, I'm talking about salvation by grace. And oh, what strangers we were to God and to his word and to his promises, heathens, pagans, Gentile dogs. Such were some of you, Paul said, having just given an accurate description of all those who shall not enter into God's kingdom. drunkards, oh, on and on he goes, thieves, adulterers, idolaters, none of these, he said, are going to enter into the kingdom. He said, you know that. It's by these things is what caused the wrath of God to come upon the world. These are not going to enter into the kingdom of God.

But then he don't stop. He said, but such were some of you. Or what happened to you? How come that don't apply to me and you? Because you're washed. You're sanctified. You're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. That's why. Such were some of you. That old fisherman who put his foot in his mouth all the time. He was forever just sticking his foot in his mouth. Boy, that's me. I do it all the time.

He's not only saved by grace, but God called him to the highest office in the church. God made that old fisherman an apostle. Apostle. Not only did he make him an apostle and a preacher, but he inspired this man's mind to pen the Word of God, this old fisherman.

And myself, by that same grace, not only saved by it, but given the privilege to hold the only one of only two offices given in the New Testament concerning the preaching of the gospel. I hold the office of a pastor. Sometimes I do the work of an evangelist. No wonder Paul said to the Ephesians, unto me who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given.

What's he talking about? That I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make 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 Christ Jesus. Giving me the ability to stand before men and explain the fellowship, declare the fellowship of these things, of these great mysteries, the mystery of iniquity, the mystery of godliness, great mysteries. Guided, inspired, overwhelmed, whatever word you want to choose, this old seaman was moved of God to pen the very words of God, which things he says in verse 12 of my text, that the angels desire to look into.

I don't know if you ever thought about it or not, but you're not going to learn about grace in heaven. You're going to learn about grace here. The angels know nothing about the grace of God. Did you know that he calls the angels that left not their first estate, did you know he calls them elect angels? but not in the same sense that we're elect. We're elect to salvation. They didn't need to be saved. They didn't fall.

You're not going to learn grace in heaven. You're going to experience the perfection of it, but you're not going to learn grace in heaven. You're going to learn it here. These angels in heaven are called elect angels, but they'll never know their election the same way we do. Grace is learned in a troubled heart. in a sinful world. And grace was manifested outside the camp. Outside the camp.

Oh, Peter writes so clearly of the sure salvation of God, being saved by God, God himself showing his mercy, begatting us unto a lively hope, a living hope. an incorruptible inheritance that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept." Who's keeping you? Kept by the power of God unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last day. How are we kept?

Through the power of God through faith. That's where God manifests His power in your faith. That's what He's going to try to, your faith. Now watch this, 1 Peter 1 verse 6. Wherein we greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you're in heaviness through manifold temptations. How come? Why are God's saints put through these things? That the trial of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes in a fire.

They take gold, it's mixed with dross, and they put it through a fire and all the dross is taken away and the gold is left. That's what he does with faith. Takes all the dross out of it. How does he do it? In trial. And it's more precious than that of gold that perishes. Though it be tried with fire, it might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Trials are here now. Grace is learned in a troubled soul. Mercy is understood by guilty sinners. Nobody but a guilty sinner can understand mercy. Do you understand that God saves sinners by mercy? Go learn what this means. That's what our Lord said. They said, well, why is he sitting with that woman? Don't he know what she does for a living? Don't he know who she is? Yeah, he knew better than they did.

But he said, I'm not come. I'm not come to call the righteous. I'm not coming to save the righteous. I'm coming to call sinners to repentance. I'll have mercy and not sacrifice. Now you go, you go. You self-righteous bums, you get out of here. You go learn what that means and then come back. I'm going to have mercy. This is about mercy. It's about grace. Not about your self-righteousness. Not about your decisions. Not about your will, not about how you feel, it's about how God feels.

This salvation, this wonderful, awesome, divine salvation, the prophets searched diligently who prophesied of it. What did they prophesy of? The sufferings of Christ. Isn't that what our text says? They prophesied about the Spirit of Christ that was in them. They prophesied of the sufferings of Christ. 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. What was it they wrote about?

The sufferings of Christ. that a promised Savior would come and save His people from their sins, would offer Himself up and thereby sanctify His people once for all, and by that same suffering and death perfect Him forever, present us to the Father without spot, unreprovable in His sight, spotless before the presence of His glory.

And in Acts 13, the apostle uses half the Old Testament in his message. You think I go long? He preached so long, a man fell out of the wind and killed himself. They go down and raise him from the dead to finish the message. And for them that heard him, he said, through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. And that all who believe are justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. That's Acts 13, 38-39. Peter said these men who prophesied by the Spirit of Christ of the sufferings of Christ.

So what about these sufferings? These sufferings were effectual. His sufferings satisfied the justice of God, exhausted the wrath of God. His sufferings exalted the law and made it honorable. His sufferings paid the debt that we owe. His sufferings satisfied God, manifested the glory of God's mercy and grace and love, and his sufferings plainly declared the mind of God. Let me show you this again. I know I showed this to you in Sunday school, but go with me to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. Now this is going to be the experience of the believer his whole life as a believer.

He's going to be wrongfully accused. You don't go over there, that man. That's a cult over there. You don't go over there, do you? You don't go over there, Grace Baptist. You're going to be wrongfully accused your whole life of faith. They're going to misunderstand what you do. They're going to misunderstand when you don't talk. And they're going to misunderstand when you do talk. You're going to be misunderstood. But you're not your own.

You've been bought with a price. And we got to give this over to God. This whole thing's of God, isn't it? It's all of grace and all of God. We don't have to give it into his hands and say, you work it out. He's the righteous. We're not afraid God's going to make a wrong judgment on us. He judges righteously, so we leave it in his hands. Now watch this, verse 19, for this is thankworthy if a man for conscience sake toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. A thankworthy, that's a good thing.

Charged for something he didn't do, misunderstood, given an evil report without a proper cause. Well, what did he say we were to do? Are you listening? Endure it. Endure it. Shut up and take it like a man. Quit mumbling about it. How come? Verse 21. For even hereunto were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. What then?

He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he didn't threaten folks. So what did he do with these things? Now listen to this. He committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. That's what he did. Now watch this.

Who his own self bear our sins and his own body on the tree. that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness, and with his stripes we're healed. Am I healed? Well, I'm being healed. I'm being healed. And if I would be healed, I'm going to be healed by his stripes.

I'm trying this morning to point you to a Savior in whom is all grace. He's all grace, about whom Peter said all the prophets prophesied, and their prophecies declared the suffering of Christ for sinners, a vicarious suffering, representative suffering, substitutionary suffering, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. But here's the good news. That's not all these old prophets preached.

They prophesied of the sufferings of Christ, now listen to me, and the glory that should follow. That's what I'm excited about, the glory that should follow. His sufferings purchased the place for this glory. Everything that's going to happen from now to the end of time was purchased, all these privileges, all these opportunities, all this witnessing, all this preaching, all this gathering together and worship. It was all purchased by Christ. And they prophesied not only of the sufferings, but what the sufferings bought, what the sufferings would allow.

And it's the glory that should follow. Oh, what glory? Well, here's the good news. The glory of a sitting mediator. I have one at the right hand of God. One mediator between God and me. the man Christ Jesus. He did what he was chosen to do and now he sits at the right hand of God.

Do you think anything is going to thwart him? Do you think anything is going to stand in the way of this? It's not. How do you know that? Because he suffered and he bought. His suffering is not going to go to waste. a sitting mediator, a blessed potentate, king of kings and lord of lords. Nobody can resist him, an effectual high priest, whoever liveth to make intercession for us. Do I sin? Yes, I do. Well, know this, you have an advocate at the right hand of God. Who's going to lay anything to the charge of God's elect?

God justified them. Who's going to condemn them? Christ died. But he didn't stay in the tomb. God raised him. And now he sits at the right hand of God and lives forever making intercession for us. I have at the right hand of God a high priest without end. He's never going to be replaced. He ever living.

Oh, the glory of an ordered providence. Think about that. The glory that should follow. What about the glory of an ordered providence? The glory of a divine comforter coming into this world, allowing us to go past our limitations, if you'll excuse the phrase, working in us both the will and to do of His good pleasure. What about the glory of the full canon of Scripture? It was all fulfilled by Christ. I don't need to see somebody raised from the dead. I've got a book, and it's complete. And I know who wins. I've read the end of the book.

Pastors and evangelists to declare the very revelation of Christ to ignorant sinners. And the church, local churches, the pillar and ground of the truth, a place where our children and friends can go and learn the gospel, be encouraged in the faith, Be encouraged in fellowship and worship our great God in heaven. Worship Him in spirit and worship Him in truth. All the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. So what are we to do?

Knowing this, God took this old plain seaman. I tell you, I've watched a lot of movies and I've never seen a seaman in any of them. set apart like a big hero. Every one of them sat at the bar, tattooed head and toe, and they sat in there. They were anything but an example of God's grace. But he went in and transformed this man. And this old seaman, here's what he said, gird up the loins of your mind and be sober. Quit looking to your visions and ideas and self-concepts. Live in reality. Be sober. Look past these superficial things in life.

To the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Christ. And to the end, certainly, incorporates the end of time when our Lord shall appear and call us up to himself and our salvation be perfected. But here the word end has to do with something different. It has to do with our goal. What is the end of faith? Why did God even give faith? So you could see the glory of God in Christ and be saved. The end of our faith is the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And Peter's telling us here, be sober. Realize what it is we're in here today for. Realize that God has already established means, attitudes, the way everything is cut and dried with God. And he's letting us in on it. And we better sober up and think about it. I'm telling you. And that's what Peter's saying here. Oh, the loftiest goal, the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the reigning, powerful, effectual, irresistible grace of God that shall be brought to us at the revelation of Christ. That's when it comes.

How? How are we to walk with God? As obedient children. See it there in verse 14? Obedient children. What's that mean? That means she's not only my wife, but she's my sister. That means you're not only a member of this church, but you're my brother. As obedient children. And if children, then heirs, isn't that what it says? Heirs of God, joint heirs of Christ.

And now watch this, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to those former desires. I don't know what your desire was before. I had all kinds of desires growing up. I wanted this, I wanted that, I wanted to be this and that. But we don't fashion ourselves now by that, those former lusts, desires, in our ignorance.

Paul said this to Timothy, he said, I was before a blasphemer. injurious, a persecutor, but I became mercy because I did it ignorantly and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus transformed him from what he was. Oh beloved, we're a part of what Peter calls the glory that should follow.

Understand that. Look at that. Doesn't that excite you? It excites me. I'm ready to go build something or do something. The glory. Boy, when I think about what his death accomplished for us, I can't imagine the glory that has to come from it. It's going to come. The question is, do I see it? Am I a part of it? Oh, what's that mean for us to do? That means to bask in his love and mercy and grace. As we receive Christ Jesus the Lord, let's walk in him, grounded and settled, be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.

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The Glory That Should Follow

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