Did you keep your place there
in 1 Peter chapter 1? Our text will consist of the
first three verses. Before we read them again, I
want to share something with you. Tuesday evening in the service
there at Grace Baptist Church in Danville, Kentucky, Brother
Rex Bartley, led the service, the reading, and so forth, before
I preached. And then when it came time for
me to preach, he said, Larry, come up here and brag to us on
the Lord Jesus Christ. John, that just hit the nail
on the head. And I told him so, too. My response
was, Rex, that's exactly what I want to do. That's exactly
what I've been praying and asking God that He would enable me to
do. Because that's the best thing
I can do for His glory and honor, for the good of those who listen,
and then for the good of my own soul. Brag. Brag on the Lord
Jesus Christ. I think it was Brother Scott
Richardson I heard say, he was preaching from one of the Psalms,
In that psalm, like so many others, God said, what David is doing
here is just bragging. He's bragging on his God, on
our great God and Savior. One definition of brag, and I
don't think anyone here would be unfamiliar with it, because
we carry that ugly varmint with us all the time, don't we? Pride,
pride. to brag, to say something boastfully. But from the Word of God we learn
to boast of nothing else and no one else but God. Again, from one of the Psalms,
David said this, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us. Every message I preach should
have that at the beginning, at least in my mind. Not unto you,
Larry, not unto you. Every song should have the same
thing. Every prayer, indeed everything
we do, that should be our heart's desire, our prayer. Not unto
us, O Lord, not unto us, but for thy name give glory, and
for good reason, for good reason, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's
sake. Peter called it in verse three
here of chapter one, abundant mercy. Aren't you glad of that?
Aren't you glad it's abundant mercy? Isn't that exactly what
you need? Not stingy mercy, not little
mercy, not mercy that might run out. Oh no, but abundant mercy. Mercy that's great. Mercy that's
free. I pray that God would enable
me to do that today. Indeed, This is always true,
isn't it? No matter where the gospel is
preached, no matter when it is preached, no matter who it is
that's doing the preaching, that which will do the most for God's
true Israel, His true children, is to brag on the boast of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We begin the service by singing
the hymn in your bulletin. Often when we're gathered in
this place, you've come with tokens of your grace and blessed
the preaching of your word. Oh, come again, beloved Lord. Oh, come again, beloved Lord. Don't allow us to take it for
granted. Enter our hearts and show your
face. Abide with us, dear Prince of
Peace. Children of God, let me ask you,
when you need comfort, When you really need comfort, I don't
mean pasted on, plastic, pretend, but I mean real comfort. When
your heart's troubled, real troubled, pretend won't help you. You need
real comfort, real consolation. Where do you find it? Where do
you find it? Where do you look? To whom do
you look? Well, if you look to self, you
know how that'll end up. If you look to anyone else, you
know how often that may end up. But, oh, if you look to the God
of all grace, the Father of comfort and great consolation, oh, there's
comfort. There's comfort. Oh, Lord, would
you just Open our hearts to have a glimpse, just another refreshing,
soul-reviving glimpse of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will
be comforted. No question about it. Brother
Daniel Parks wrote a hymn many years ago, and I've shared it
with you. I saved it. I found it in a file. But he wrote this. Oh, we long to see the glory
of our God in Jesus' face. Tell us now, tell us now that
blessed story of His free and sovereign grace. Mercy and grace
multiplied. John said in his Gospel chapter
1, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld
His glory full of grace. Full of grace. Always full. And John said, of this fullness
have we received, and grace for grace, grace on top of grace. The law was given by Moses, but
grace in truth comes by Jesus Christ. And once grace comes
from Christ, it just keeps coming. It just keeps coming. Tell us
of the one in heaven who before the world began, purpose that
is grace be given to erase a fallen man. Tell us of the Christ, Lord
Jesus. who has died for God's elect. It's exactly what we read there
in verse 2, wasn't it? His blood ransoms and releases
them from sin and its effect. Every one from whom he suffered
shall be saved and justified, and at last they shall be ushered
into heaven to be his bride. That's comforting. Tell us, Moose
went on to write, tell us, preacher, tell us of the Holy Spirit, blessed
gift of God to men, God's elect are without merit, yet by Him
are born again. He will find them undeserving,
but He'll cause them to believe. And they won't have a problem
with that. But He'll cause them to believe and will make them
persevering till the gold they all receive. Pray that God will
enable me to brag on His Son. It'll do you good. It'll do me
good. His Son, our glorious Redeemer,
the Lord Jesus Christ. The title of this message is,
A Message for Strangers. Not a strange message. Not to
God's people. A message for strangers. That's who Peter describes these
believers as being in verse 1, doesn't it? Strangers, strangers. We're not This message of God's
grace and mercy, the gospel, the gospel of Christ. It's not
a strange message to his people. This is a song they recognize.
You know why? Because their hearts are in tune
with it. They're in tune with it. They've
heard it before. They have an ear that's been
opened to hear and a heart to receive. Oh, this message is
not strange to them. Yes, there are strangers in this
world. Oh, but the message of God's grace is not strange. It's
only strange to the world. It's not strange to the believer,
but it's strange to the world because they haven't heard it.
They can't see any reason to rejoice in it, much less a cause
to sing it again and again. First of all, notice here in
verse 1 who this is written to. Look at it. an apostle of Jesus
Christ to the strangers scattered. To the strangers. And this is
not to be confined only to those places that Peter named where
those strangers had been scattered, but to every child of God. Every
child of God knows this is so. In this world, they're strangers.
They're pilgrims. who by God's grace have been
made so, that is, strangers in this world, and are scattered
like sheep throughout this world. But there's no need to be alarmed. No need to be fearful. As Peter
says in chapter 2 of his epistle, verse 25, flip a page or two
over and look at that. The last verse in chapter 2,
Peter says, for ye were a sheep going astray. Ye were a sheep
going astray. Our Lord said, if I have a lost
sheep, I'll leave the ninety and nine and go look for that
one sheep. I've come to seek and to save
that which was lost. For ye were a sheep going astray,
but, but, but now, but are now. So, what comes? but are now returned
into the shepherd and bishops of your souls." Again, I say
there's no need. Though we're strangers in this
world and to this world, there's no need to be alarmed, no need
to be fearful. We're not left to ourselves.
We're not left to ourselves. If we were, oh, my soul, let
your head hang down. Pace the floor, bite your nails,
pull on your hair. Oh, but that's not the case.
We're not left to ourselves. Far from it. With David we can
join him in that sweet song of praise when he said, the Lord
is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. He's
my shepherd. You know, his grace, power, majesty
is so great that Christ is my shepherd as though I were the
only sheep he has. That's exactly right. And that
is true of all his sheep. The Lord is my shepherd. Isn't
that a precious truth? How full of comfort to those
sheep that have such a shepherd. It's no wonder that these words
follow that blessed fact. The Lord is my shepherd, and
here's the natural fruit of that, the natural and sure consequence
of that. Having such a shepherd, David
said, I shall not want. I shall not want. Well, how can
you? If he's your shepherd, how can
you want? How can you lack is what the
word means. If the sheep should lack anything
they ever need, that's a mouthful, isn't it? Bobby, you're shaking your head
in agreement. I just said a mouthful, didn't I? Because the sheep are
needy, needy creatures. They need grace and mercy every
minute, every hour, of every day, of every week, of every
month, and every year. They need grace to keep them. The same grace that called them
must preserve them. If grace should withdraw from
their heart, if the great shepherd should withdraw his grace for
one moment, they would follow the multitude of this world to
perdition. That's just a fact. That's just
so. We have no strength of our own. Oh, but we read, the Lord
is my shepherd, I shall not want. If the sheep lack anything they
ever need, at any time, in any place, it must be because the
shepherd doesn't have it. That's right. It's the shepherd's
responsibility to supply all the needs of his sheep. That's
the shepherd's job. That's what he promised his father
in the everlasting covenant of grace. Therefore, David says,
I shall not want, because the great shepherd supplies his sheep. There can never be a lack. Therefore,
there can never be a lack, a deficiency. Oh yes, in the sheep. That's
all there is, but not in the shepherd. Not in the shepherd.
There can never be a lack, a deficiency in that one in whom all the fullness
of the Godhead dwells. How can there be a deficiency
in him? Christ is all. Christ is all. Christ is all. All mercy, all grace, all salvation. All that I need. Christ is all,
and that's the very reason that those that are in Him must be
complete. They must be complete. They're
in Him. They're in Him who is all. They're
in Him in whom all fullness dwells. If I'm in Him, I have everything
I need, everything that God Almighty can give, everything that God
Almighty demands, I have in His Son, in the Beloved. Oh, what
a marvelous place. Complete in thee, no work of
mine, may take, dear Lord, the place of thine. Thy blood hath
parted and bought for me. That's what we read here, didn't
we? The precious blood of Christ. Thy blood hath parted and bought
for me. And now I am complete in thee. Now. Now. Well, you say, Lord, I don't
feel like it. I feel broken. I feel anything but complete.
I feel like a puzzle with the parts scattered all around. Well,
don't trust your feelings. Believe God's Word. Believe God's
Word. He says, I'm complete in thee. We read that God has made
Christ to be unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption, all that we need. Complete in thee, each one supplied. And no good thing to me denied.
Since thou my portion, Lord, wilt be, I ask no more. Complete in thee. What more is
there? Remember these words from our
great shepherd? When the disciples came to him
on Mount Olivet, after he had taught them all the two's, they
got him aside in private. And they said, Lord, when shall
these things be, these things you've talked about, these signs,
the end of the world, and your coming again, the destruction
of Jerusalem, when shall these things be? And our Lord said,
then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, And
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. Mourn. We have a specimen of that in
Revelation 6, don't we? When the clouds departed as a
scroll, and they don't see little Jesus, Jesus my helper, Jesus
my doormat, Jesus my fire escape. No, they see King Jesus coming
in the clouds with power and great glory. And they say, whoa,
out is from the face of him that sets up on the throne. The tribes of the earth shall
mourn, our Lord said, and they shall see the Son of Man coming
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Oh, how sad and yet true, how
sad but true that the multitude of professing believers, that's
not the Jesus Christ they're looking for. That's not the one
they're looking for. They're not looking for this
same Jesus that went up to heaven, that the angels say will come
back in the same way with power and glory and everlasting dominion. And our Lord said, he shall send
his angels with the great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather
his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the
other. Imagine that. The great and terrible day of
the Lord as it's described in his word. That day that God Almighty
has appointed, God's appointed, and that's an appointment you
and I are going to keep. We can't get out of it. No, no. God's appointed the day in which
He will judge the world in absolute righteousness by that man which
He hath ordained, the Lord Jesus Christ. But to His sheep, that's
not a day to be dreaded. That's not a day to be feared.
No, for this reason. Dear Savior, when before thy
bar all tribes and tongues assembled are, just like he said, among
thy chosen will I be at thy right hand, complete in thee. Oh, why
should I fear? What do I have to fear? Complete
in thee. Blessed truth. Be very thankful,
child of God. Instead of being concerned that
you don't fit in in this world, even with your relations whom
you love, brothers, sisters, and so forth, sad for them. But be thankful if you don't
feel at home in this world anymore. Be thankful. Be thankful that
this world has been crucified to you and you to the world. You consider them dead and they
consider you dead. That's what Paul said in Galatians
6. Be thankful that that's so. A child of God is not supposed
to feel at home in this world. He doesn't want to fit in. He's
not supposed to fit in. That's not his desire to fit
in. Let the celebrities wear what
they want and say what they want to say. Who cares? Who cares?
Oh no, we've taken up our cross, denied ourselves, and we're following
the Lamb. The very fact that we don't feel
at home in this world anymore is a pretty good indication that
Christ has called us out of it, is it not? Do you remember what
He told His disciples? If you were of the world, the
world would love it, its own. but because you're not of the
world. And this is the reason. I've chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you. And in that high priestly prayer
that he prayed to his father before he went to the cross,
they are not of the world. My sheep, those that you've given
me, those that I've kept, they're not of the world, even as I am
not of the world. Look at verse 9 here in chapter
2 of 1 Peter. Look at what it says. You're
not of the world. And here's the reason. Oh, child
of God, be thankful. But you are a chosen generation.
A royal priesthood. A royal priesthood. We're children
of the king. We're a child of the king. A
holy nation of peculiar people. That you should show forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light, which in times past were not a people, but are
now. the people of God, which had
not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. I repeat, be
very thankful if you don't feel at home in this world anymore.
Thank God for that. Does this old hymn describe you,
child of God? A believer, I know that it does.
I listened to my dear friend David Coleman sing this hymn
before I left the house to come here this morning. I am a poor,
wayfaring stranger. while traveling through this
world below. There is no sickness, toil, no
danger to that bright world to which I go. I know dark clouds
will gather over me. I know my pathway is rough and
steep. The golden fields lie out before
me, where weary eyes no more shall meet. I'm going home. I'm
going home. I'm going there to see my father.
I'm going there no more to Rome. I'm just going over Jordan. I'm
just going over home." Peter in his second epistle said, all
these things you see, the fashion of this world, everything in
it, everything you can put your hand on, everything you can touch,
every material thing you own or think you do, Peter said it's
going to be burnt up. It's going to be burnt up. have
to let it go. The elements, Peter said, shall
melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, oh sweet nevertheless,
we according to his promise look for a new heavens and a new earth
wherein dwelleth righteousness. How about that? A righteous God,
a righteous Savior, a righteous place, a righteous people. He prepared a place for us and
he's preparing us for it. There will in no wise enter into
it anything, anything, except that which is perfectly righteous. And we're made the righteousness
of God in Him. Oh, this robe of flesh I'll drop
and rise to seize the everlasting prize and shout while passing
through the air, farewell, farewell. Sweet hour of prayer. I have
no need of it now. Not then. I read this the other
day. by Mr. Spurgeon. I thought this
was good. Spurgeon said, Augustine, Augustine,
used to say he did not know whether to call this life a dying life
or a living death. I'll leave it to you to make
that choice between the two expressions, Mr. Spurgeon said. This is certainly
a dying life. Its march is marked by graves. Nothing but a continuous miracle
keeps any one of us from the sepulcher, from the tomb, from
the grave. That's a fact. That's a fact.
I know most people don't believe it. Children of God do. Were omnipotence to stay its
power but for a moment, we would return to our native dust. It
is a dying life, and it is equally true that it is a living death.
We are always dying. John, I asked you about your
ailments this morning. I could have told you about mine. Didn't want to bore you. I said,
John, I think that's just part of this process, isn't it? We're
dying. We're dying. Always dying. Every beating pulse, Spurgeon
said, every beating pulse we count leaves but the number less.
The more years we count in our life, the fewer remain. Are you
afraid of dying? Oh, never be afraid of that.
Never be afraid that dying can never hurt a Christian. That's
exactly right. Dying can never hurt a Christian.
Christian, you are nearer to your eternal home than you thought
you were. And every moment, you're getting
nearer and nearer and closer and closer. Oh, I wonder how
close I might be. Well, as close as that last heartbeat. as close as my last breath. Oh,
in a moment, in a twinkly of an eye. Paul said, for me to
live is Christ and to die is gain. Therefore, I desire to
depart and to be with Christ, which is better. Better by far. Far, far better. I was taking
some things out of my briefcase when we got home Wednesday night.
Well, it was the next day or so. But I was taking some things
out, and I had the brochure in there for Brother Lindsey Campbell's
funeral. Had his picture on it. Going
Home Service, I think it was called. As I mentioned in the
bulletin today, I had talked with Lindsey about coming there
to preach. He had called me on the 6th of September. I called
him back on the 10th of September. 17 days later, he was in glory. Neither one of us had any way
of knowing that would be the last time he and I would ever,
ever talk. And I put that brochure in a
folder with quite a few others, John, quite a few others. Most
of them have a picture on it as well. It seems like every
year, God has been pleased to take a dear friend and brother
home, or sister. Brother Lindsey, a few weeks
ago, The year before that, Dodd-Ford in 2020. Before that, Brother
Dave Coleman in 2019. Six days after God took David
home, he took Brother Henry Mahan home. I attended both their funerals. And here in this place, we've
lost several in the last few years. Brother Lloyd Rogers in
2015. Dear best, dear best. Old best. She was a pickle. In 2017. Kenny, Kenny, last year. And then dear Pat, just a few
months ago. Why is this? Why is this? We can sit around and talk about
the many things associated with their deaths, with the deaths
of a believer, but really it boils down to this. This is what
happened. This is what happened. Father,
our Lord prayed, I will that they also whom thou hast given
me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory. That's
what happens. That's the reason. Every time
a child of God is ushered into the presence of the great shepherds,
it's because he wills that they be with him where he is. You remember, I think it was
after I got out of the hospital, and Brother Paul Mahan was here
to preach. I think that was the occasion,
in 2017. But he told the story about a very elderly lady that
was in his church. And Paul, I think, if I remember
the story right, went to visit her. And she was so tore up,
concerned, because her family were going to put her in a nursing
home. And she said, Pastor, I don't want to go to that place. You
remember that? Remember Paul telling us that?
This dear lady, I mean, she, I think, in her 90s, like my
mother, said, Pastor, I don't want to go to that place. She
said, I know that those preachers come in there. They don't preach
the gospel. They don't exalt Christ. I just don't want to
go. I don't want to go. Well, she didn't go. Just a few
days before she was supposed to go, God took her home. She
didn't go to a nursing home. She went to her home in heaven.
Jesus Christ, we read in verse 3, died, but he didn't stay dead,
did he? Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
have begotten us again unto a lively hope. Peter says here, tells us exactly
of that one we need. We need a risen Savior. We need
a living Savior. We need a reigning Savior. It's a reigning, living Savior
that applies the benefits of His redemption. Yes, we need
a Savior that died on the cross, made atonement for my sins, and
redeemed me to God. But it's a living Savior that
makes application of the benefits of that redemption. If Christ
be not raised, Paul said, our faith is vain. It's useless.
It's empty. It's pointless. And we're yet
in our sins. And they also that have fallen
asleep in Christ are perished. But Paul went on to say, but
now, but now, but now, now is Christ Jesus risen from the dead
and become the first fruits of them that sleep. We need a Savior who continually
saves us and who is a very present help in time of trouble. We need
a Savior to whom we can go now for help, right now. When the
battle is raging, when the storms are raging, the waves are getting
higher and higher, and I feel like I'm going down, I'm going
to drown, I need a Savior now. Now. And that's who Christ is. Nothing less than a living Christ
will do for us. The gospel tells us of him who
lives now. He is now alive forevermore.
He lives for us now. He intercedes for us now. Is
that not what the scriptures tell us? He appears in the presence
of God for us right now. That's what Paul said in Hebrews
9. God appears, Christ rather, appears not in the holy place
down here, not the tithe, but He appears in the most holy presence
of God. He appears in the presence of
God for us now, all my soul. He represents me right now before
the throne of a holy God. Wherefore He is able to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever
liveth. Now. Now. to make intercession
for us. So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. We worship,
we serve, we trust a living, reigning, great God and Savior
who is, is, not was, is our great shepherd. You want to comfort
me? Tell me about my shepherd. Tell
me about my captain. Tell me about my savior. Tell
me about my advocate. Tell me about my friend, my redeemer. Tell me the good news that Jesus
Christ has never lost one of his sheep. Tell me that he's
able to save even a sinner like me, a wretch like me, that his
grace is sufficient to keep me from falling and to present me
with that spot before the throne of God. Ooh, that's good news.
That's good news. That's encouraging. Look what
Peter wrote. In verses 8 and 9 here in chapter
1, speaking of Jesus Christ, whom have ye not seen, ye love,
ye love, in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving
the end, the outcome of your faith, even the salvation of
your soul. Now we walk by faith, not by
sight, By faith we see Him that loved us. Oh, but one day, one
day soon, we're going to walk right up to glory, right into
glory, and see Him as He is. These soul-comforting truths
of Holy Scripture are matters of divine certainty. Divine certainty. There's no ifs, maybes, buts,
or conditions to these verses that I read. No, these are based
have their foundation laid on the free grace, sovereign mercy,
multiplied grace, and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, chosen
to salvation. Well, now, if God purposed salvation,
I believe He's able to accomplish everything He purposed, don't
you? You know the fundamentalists say, fundamentalists, that's
a misnomer. But they say, oh, yes, I believe in election. I
believe in chosen to salvation. This is how it was. God looked
out and saw who would believe. You ever had some nut tell you
that? Oh, yeah, we believe election down there. We're no different
from you. Well, yeah, sure, sure. God looked out and he saw who
would believe, so he chose them to believe. Say what? That sort of represents God involved
in some pretty useless nonsense, doesn't it? That sounds like
a small God. Well, our God's in the heavens.
And He purposed to save a people. And He sent His Son to redeem
those people. And He did. And now his son is
calling out all of his people, his sheep. And the Holy Spirit
comes in a time of love. And he comes to dead sinners,
redeemed and chosen, and he says, live. Lazarus, get up. Get up. You've laid dead long
enough. Get up. And that's what happened.
Lazarus, come forth. Thank God he didn't say, well,
Lazarus, if you'll take the first step, Oh no. Lazarus, come forth. In the very next verse we read,
and he that was dead came forth. And you know what that's a picture
of? You had he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin. God will show forth his glory
and grace in the ages to come when he displays us in the trophy
case of heaven as monuments of his grace and mercy. Thank God,
thank God that that's, let me wrap this up. In Revelation chapter
22, we read this, verses one through five. I like this, don't
you? Say, how does this story end? Well, we'll read it right here.
How does God's purpose of salvation end? How is our great high priest
willed that all be with him, all that the father give him
be with him where he is? How does it end? Verse one, Revelation
22, and he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the land in the
midst of the street of it. And on either side of the river
was there the tree of life, which bear 12 manner of fruits and
yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nation. Oh, troubled believer, tossed believer, burdened believer,
listen to this, and there shall be no more curse, but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall
serve Him, will serve Him with an unsinning heart, and they
shall see His face, and his name shall be in their foreheads,
and there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither
light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they
shall reign forever and ever." I shared in this tribute to Lindsay
in your bulletin today this story. I got a text from Brother Rex
Bartley just a few moments after Lindsay entered heaven, and he
said this, Our dear friend is now beholding the face of his
Savior. Christ is all is no longer a
verse of scripture to him. It is his joy for eternity."
Wow. Wow. I like the article. Oh, eternity. Eternity. All at
once, all at once, I find myself in an unbounded flood of bliss. a spacious sea of glory, lost
in wonder amidst delights, and transported with the raptures
of seraphic harmony, while all his saints rejoice in his excellent
glory, what ardor grows in every soul, what rapture swells in
every song." If we believe, Paul said, that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring
with Him. He can't bring them with him
unless they're already there. For this we say unto you, by
the word of God, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent, shall not proceed, them
which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, as worth a shout, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in
Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, And so shall
we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. I'll soon be free from every
trifle, and this form will rest beneath the sun. I'll drop the
cross of self-denial and enter in my home with God. I'm going
there. Child of God, we're on our way.
I'm going there to see my Savior, who shed for me his precious
blood, I'm just a-going over Jordan. I'm just a-going over
home. He which testifieth these things
saith surely I come quickly." And our response is, Amen. Even
so, come Lord Jesus. And in the meantime, the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Be with you all. And
it will be. Amen. Amen. God bless you.