1 Peter chapter 2, the title
of my message, and I pray that God will make it so. Christ Most
Precious. Christ Most Precious. Now if I were to ask any of you
grandparents about that grandson or granddaughter, I would wager
that the word precious would enter into your reply. Oh, they're
precious. John J.C.' 's precious. My grandson's
precious. My great-grandson is precious. Oh, but think of Jesus Christ. Think of Jesus Christ. how precious
He is to those that believe. In verse 4, we're told He's precious
to God. He's precious to God. Because
it's only Jesus Christ that fulfilled the law of God, and honored it,
and made it honorable. God cannot justify a sinner and
remain just in doing so except through Jesus Christ. It can't
be done any other way. He's precious to God the Father.
Verse 6, He's precious in Himself. Just in Himself. Everything He
did and those He did it for was precious. His righteous life, His sin-atoning
death, We're precious, but it's who He is that makes those things
precious. Who He is give virtue and merit
and value and preciousness to what He did because they came
from Him. But I'd like for us to consider
His preciousness as stated in verse 7. There, would you look
at it? Just the first few words in the
sentence. his preciousness to a child of
God, unto you therefore which believe, precious, as the pearl
of great price, which in itself is the unsearchable riches of
Jesus Christ. Precious as he was to Paul, as
the prize that Paul said he reached for, reach for forgetting everything
that was behind like a runner in a race, striving, striving. His eyes was on the prize at
the finish line when his journey was over. he would see Jesus
Christ. Paul says for that, in Philippians
3, I count everything I ever thought I knew or really did
know, I count it as done. Why Paul? Because now I've got
my eyes on a greater riches, a greater treasure. Moses, is
that not the same thing that he was looking at when we read
in Hebrews Hebrews chapter 11, let me read it to you. This is
the treasure that Moses considered greater than all the riches that
Pharaoh could offer him. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 24. By faith Moses, when he was come
to years, that time when he would have been crowned, Pharaoh's
grandson refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He refused that. Why? Why would any man refuse such
an honor, such glory, such power? Choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season. Why? Why Moses? Because he was
looking at the same prize that Paul was. esteeming, verse 26,
the reproach of Christ's greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt. Greater riches than the treasures
in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. If you haven't read it yet, look
at the quote above the daily readings in your bullet. What
the old Puritan here speaks of is the same thing that our text
speaks of, and I pray that God will enable us to do. Thomas
Brooks wrote, in time of crosses and losses and miseries, and
God's children are not exempt from those things. It is the
wisdom of believers, to those that believe, not to ignore them,
not to pretend they don't exist, but rather to look more to look
more upon the crown than upon the cross, to dwell more upon
glory than upon misery. Wouldn't that be refreshing?
To eye more the brazen serpent which is lifted up than the fiery
serpent which bites and stings, to rejoice in the cure rather
than the cause. I read just last night A story
about Mr. Newton, John Newton, the writer
of that great, great old hymn, Amazing Grace. He was visiting
one of his members, one he pastored, a woman who had just lost everything
in a fire. Her home and all that was in
it. And Mr. Newton went in to where
she was staying and said, I've come to congratulate you. And
she said, what? You've come to congratulate me
on losing all my possessions? And he said, yes, ma'am, to congratulate
you for yet possessing that which you can never lose, your true
riches. Is that not what Peter said in
chapter 1 here, verse 4? To an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved." Think about
that. Reserved. Waiting. Reserved in heaven for you. I pray that God will allow us
to do that very thing. I have prayed. I'm praying now.
As I preach this message and I ask you, would you pray the
same? Would you ask God to do the same? that he would remind
us, remind us how precious Jesus Christ is to those that believe. David Coleman, I had several
CDs by him, he's now in glory, but one of the songs he sang
was, Remind Me, Dear Lord, didn't he, Bob? A part of it said, Lord,
remember I'm human, And humans forget. So remind me. Remind me, dear Lord. You remember a few months ago
during our conference when Gabe sang that song that he wrote?
Dear Lord, remember me, Gabe sang. That's not the problem,
is it? That's not the problem. I need
not concern myself. I need not give it a second thought
that my great God will ever forget me. That will never happen. I'm never out of his mind. I'm
never out of his heart. I'm always in his hand. He'll
not forget me. He reminds us of that from time
to time. Listen. Isaiah chapter 49. Listen
to these words. Chapter 49. Verse 13, sing, O heavens, and
be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains,
for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon
his afflicted. But Zion said, the Lord hath
forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. You ever felt that
way? You ever had those thoughts?
You kept them to yourself. You didn't want anybody else
to know you were thinking that, but I've done it, and so have
you. And this is our Lord's reply to such thoughts. Can a woman
forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will
not I forget you. Behold, I have graven you upon
the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually, continually,
every moment before me. Yes, the problem, again I say,
is not God forgetting us, but us forgetting Him. Remind me,
dear Lord. In Deuteronomy, Moses, just before
the children of Israel are about to enter the promised land after
those 40 years of wandering, with that new generation that
had risen up, he reminds them of what God told them. Listen
to this, chapter 6 of Deuteronomy, verse 10. And it shall be when
the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he swore
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give
thee great and goodly cities which thou buildest not. They're
there for you. You didn't have anything to do
with it. And houses full of all good things which thou fillest
not. and wells digged, which thou
diggest not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantest not. When thou shalt have eaten and
be full, watch out, be careful. When that happens, verse 12,
then, then, when you would think we would be the most thankful,
the most aware, the most appreciative, It's then that we're more likely
to forget when we're full, fat, satisfied. Then beware lest thou
forget the Lord which brought thee forth out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house, from the house of bondage. Be careful. Don't forget. Again, the story
about Mr. Newton. After his death, a friend
of his, William Jay, perhaps you've heard of him, visited
the home where Newton lived. And he made his way up into the
attic, because that's where Newton had his study. And on the wall
over his desk, where Newton would sit and prepare his messages,
seek God's face, On the wall over his desk, written in very,
very large letters, were these words. And you that have read
anything about Newton know that before God saved him, he was
a slave trader, captain of a slave ship, until God saved him. But the letters written on the
wall over his desk were these. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the
land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee." John Newton, don't you ever forget. Larry Criss, don't you ever forget. Yes, remind me, remind me dear
Lord, because I need it. Don't you? Don't you? In his second epistle, Peter
told these suffering believers, these pilgrims, these strangers
as he described them. He said, I think it's my duty
the right thing for me to do as long as I'm still living.
To stir you up. He said to stir you up. How,
Peter? By way of remembrance. By reminding
you whose you are and who you are. Stir you up. You ever feel like you needed
that? Boy, I do. This sluggishness This half-heartedness,
this complacency. Oh God, I'm tired of it. God help me get out of it. I
want to shake it off. This going through the motions
like I'm walking in my sleep. God stir me up. John Bunyan, in his famous old
story, allegory, Pilgrim's Progress, when Christian at this time was
traveling along the road with hopeful, when they were in sight
of the Celestial City, when they were that close to the Celestial
City where they were journeying to, a picture of heaven, they
came upon a place that old Bunyan called Enchanted Ground, remember
that? And Hopewell said, I feel drowsy. Suddenly, I'm tired. Let's lay
down here. Let's lay down in this sweet,
peaceful spot and take a little nap. Let's rest a while, Christian.
And Christian said, oh, no, no. Don't you remember? We were warned
about this place. We were warned of this place
and not to tarry here, but to continue on to that city whose
builder and maker is God. Is that not exactly what Paul
tells us to do in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5? Listen to this. For when they shall say peace
and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail
upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. He's not
talking about believers. He's talking to believers. The
next verse, but now he's talking to believers. You, brethren,
are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a
thief. You are the children of light. God's called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light. You are the children of light
and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of
darkness. Therefore, what should we do? Nothing. Therefore, should we
just lay back and take thy ease and eat, drink, and be merry?
Oh, no, no. Therefore, let us not sleep as
do others. Let us not sleep as do others,
but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in
the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But
let us, who are of the day, be sober, be on our guard, be on
our watch, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for in
helmet the hope, the hope of salvation to which God has appointed
us. Yes, again, remind me, dear Lord. I need reminded for another reason. because I tend to forget, but
also when I do this, this happens. This happens. Can this happen
to a believer? Apparently so. What our Lord said to the church
at Ephesus, the first church he spoke to, I know thy works. I know thy works. And he commends
them about so much. I know that you won't tolerate
unsound, unscriptural, God dishonoring truth. I know that. And he goes
on and on and commends them. But then in verse 4 he says,
but, but, I've got somewhat against thee. You've left your first love. You've left your first love.
You mean they could do all those things and still having left
their first love? Yes, apparently they could. Obviously
they did. How did they do so? I don't want
to learn. And our Lord said, I've got this
against you. You left your first love. I remember being in a meeting
years ago with Brother Dear Scott Richardson and he was preaching.
Old Scott, he's with the Lord now too. He and Henry, others. But he said, mentioning that
text, you've left your first love. And Scott said, your first
love. You remember what that is? Remember
what that is? Scott said, I like to call it
that sweetheart love. That sweetheart love. John, when
you first laid eyes on that woman that's been your wife now for
so long, you remember? You remember. You thought your
heart was going to pound out of your chest. Oh, sweetheart
love. Couldn't be with her too much. It was hard not to think of her
all the time. Sweetheart love. The wonder, remember? When Christ first revealed himself
to you. Remember? The wonder. Remember just the
wonder of it all. The wonder. He loves me. He loves me. You remember when
you couldn't get over that? Remember when it wasn't common? It wasn't boring? It wasn't taken
for granted? Oh, the wonder of it. He loved
me. God chose me and His Son, me. He loved me and gave Himself
for me. Oh, the wonder of it. The joy,
the joy of that first love. Of just knowing Him. Just knowing
Him. Oh, the unspeakable joy. But
gradually, gradually, other things creep in. Just not enough time
for Christ? Oh, you couldn't wait till the
work day was over so I could get along with Him and shut out
the world and be alone with Him. But then there's so many things
to do. Martha, Martha, you're troubled
about so many things. Like the bride in Solomon's Song. Her bridegroom knocks on the
door. Awake, awake, my beloved. Oh, I'm in bed. I'm in bed. That's a picture of a sleeping
Christian, a sleepy, spiritually sleepy believer. I'm in bed. I've taken off my shoes. I'm
comfortable. Come back some other time. Can
you imagine? Come back some other time. And he left. He left. Remember what the Lord Jesus
said the cure for leaving that first love was in Revelation
chapter 2? He said, wherefore, remember. Remember. Let's take a walk down memory
lane. Precious memories, an old hymn
says, how they linger, how they ever flood my soul. And I pray this one will flood
our souls. Remembering the preciousness
of Christ, Christ most precious. You remember when you were a
child at home. You remember how precious mom
and dad were to you? You remember? Remember when you
were young? Nobody was more precious than
mommy and daddy. Oh, how you loved them. How you
treasured them. How you trusted them. I never
remember going to sleep when I was a boy at home wearing Am
I going to eat in the morning? I never remember getting up and
pacing the floor wondering, well, I wonder if dad's going to take
care of me. I wonder if he's going to be. It never crossed my mind.
They're trustworthy. They've earned my trust. I've
got no reason to think that way. Now apply that to this. When
you think as a child, where would we be without mom, without father? Ask yourself this, child of God,
what would we do? Where would we be without Jesus
Christ? I'm almost tempted just to stop
for some few moments of silence while that sinks in. Where would
I be? What hope would I have? without Jesus Christ. I remember where I was when He
found me. I wasn't seeking Him. He sought me. I didn't love Him,
care less. I loved anything and everything,
no matter how trivial it was. But not Him. Oh, but He loved
me. He found me. Where would I be
without him? My brief article beneath Henry's
in your bulletin today, I asked that question. Remember when
God got you lost? Do you remember? I see some of
you nodding your heads. Good. Good. Remember when God
woke you up? Our text says to you, that believe. And if you believe, if you believe,
you first, before God granted you faith, before God woke you
up and took the scales off your blinded eye so you could behold
His darling Son, before that, He showed you your need. That's exactly right. I know
I'm swimming against the religious tide today, this morning, and
saying that, I hope I am. I intend to. It's on purpose.
Because today there is a so-called conversion, a salvation that
people have received who've never been lost. Never been lost. If you've never been lost, You've
never been saved. That's just a fact. That's a
fact. That's not Larry's word, that's
God's word. You were lost before you were
found. You were stripped. You were stripped. Painful, painful
business, but necessary. Come down sinner! Hey! Hey! Proud solitarsis, come down! Zykeus, come down! Rebel, come
down! Bow before the King of all. Strip before your clothes. Brought
down before you're lifted up. Everybody knows that. Oh, I beg
your pardon. Everybody knows that. Larry,
that's common knowledge. Oh, no, they don't. My son doesn't
know it. My daughter doesn't know it.
My daughter's in law and son-in-law, they don't know it. And I pray
God, make them know it. Get them lost. Get them lost. Bring that rebel down. Make him bow before the throne
of a mighty sovereign savior. Because they're blind. They don't
know. They don't know their need. They don't know they're lost.
Oh, they'll give lip service just to get daddy off their back.
They'll give a little lip service to it. Oh, but Lord, wake them
up. like you did their daddy when
you convinced me of my sin and God's righteousness and judgment. And I, man, how that changed
my tune. Before that, I'd say, well, I'm
just as good as any of those hypocrites down at the church.
I'm no worse than they are. I'm as well, if they're going
to heaven, so am I. Boy, did God change my attitude.
When he stripped me, I didn't point the finger at anybody except
Larry. I'm the sinner. Oh, God. I'm the sinner. I don't know about anybody else,
but I know this. I'm the sinner. That's what old
Newton meant when he wrote, was grace that taught my heart the
fear. He was getting along fine before
that, and so was I. But I was blind. I was dead. Then God turned the light on. I hope you'll save today's bulletin. I hope you'll read the articles.
Don't toss it aside. especially the excerpt from that
sermon that Brother Henry preached, the invitation, a gospel invitation. Our Lord stood, Henry said, from
his text in John chapter 7 verse 37, stood at that last day in
Jerusalem the Feast of Tabernacles. Our Lord had observed those people
going through the motions of their religious tradition for
seven days. Just going through the motions.
That's what most people are doing this morning. Just going through
the motions. Tradition. Religious tradition. And our Lord watched them do
that day after day after day. The Feast of Tabernacles was
a week long. And he stood in that temple. Those multitudes, now it's the
last day, they're packing up. Get the kids, let's pack up,
time to go back home. We're going just like we came.
We came and did our religious duty, and now we're going home,
unchanged. And Christ, being full of compassion,
saw that. And he looked out at them, knowing
he didn't need anybody to testify what was in man. He knew what
was in man, and he knew what was in the heart of every one
of those hypocrites. Just tradition, just religious tradition. And
he stood and said, is anybody out there really thirsty? Is
there anybody in that crowd that wants more than mere formality? Does anybody want to know the
living God? Is anybody thirsty? Is there
anybody out there that's not satisfied with your religion?
You're not satisfied with daddy's tradition. You want more than
that. You need more than that. You've
got to have more than that. In other words, are you thirsty?
Come to me. Come to me. Remember when God
made you thirsty? I thought I was somebody, a hippie. Man, I had the world
by the tail on a downhill slide. made me thirsty. I remember visiting
my grandmother one night, knocked on her door. Man, she claimed
to be a believer. I said, Grandmother, I'm lost.
I sat in that chair and this proud rebel wept like a baby. Grandma, I'm lost. And if somebody
came in right now and laid a million dollars at my feet, what difference
would it make? I'm lost. God had turned the light on. If someone had asked me then,
Larry, what matters most to you now? What's most precious to
you now? Oh, I want to know Him. I want
to know Him. I would like to lie down in my
bed tonight, instead of tossing and turning, and thinking at
the end of this miserable, short, brief existence that I'm going
to go out and stand before a holy God. And in my present state,
he must, if he's just and holy, cast me into hell. I don't have
a hope. I'm lost. That's all I know for sure. I'm
lost. Remember? I remember it was grace
that taught my heart to fear. And grace, my fears relieved. And I remember. God help me. I take it so much for granted.
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Oh. Larry. What's most precious to you now?
Oh, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. Let me tell you
about Him. I didn't know much. Peter, in
his last epistle, the last thing he wrote, grow in grace and in
the knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I was a
babe. Hadn't grown. Didn't know much. Oh, but I could say with Paul,
I know whom I had believed. I know him. I know him. Like that blind man that our
Lord healed in John 9. He was drugged before the Sanhedrin.
How'd this happen? Are you really that fellow that
was blind? Oh, I'm him. I'm him. Well, how did this happen?
He said, well, let me tell you how. That wasn't the answer they
wanted. You got a lot of nerve coming
in here trying to teach us. You're just a sinner, and they
booted him out. He said, one thing I know, one thing I know,
I once was blind, but now I see. Oh, I wonder how precious Jesus
Christ was to that man. I wonder how precious Jesus Christ
was to that poor leper that day. on that dusty road that came
and fell before the Lord and said, if you will, you can make
me clean. Leprosy, a picture of sin, outcast,
unclean. The law required him to shout,
don't come near me. Don't have anything to do with
me. I'm cursed. I'm unclean. The priest says
to leave my home, my family. to live out in a leper colony.
Oh Lord, that's all I know, that's all I am, but if you will, you
can make me clean. I wonder how precious in the
eyes of that leper Jesus Christ appeared when he saw him reach
out and touch him and say, I will. I will be thou clean. And we could go on and on, but
we won't. We could give example after example,
all the miracles, the woman with the issue of blood, blind Bartimaeus,
the thief on the cross. But what about me? What about me? God's done for
me what that only pictured. He touched me. Like the one with
the issue of blood. Oh, I've got to touch Him. I've
got to get through all this religion, all this nonsense, all this garbage,
these altars, and these decisions, this shaking the preacher's hand.
I've got to get through all that and touch Christ. I've got to
have real, vital contact with the Son of God. This other stuff's
just in my way. And she crawls through. Can you
see that trembling hand? As he walks by, and she reaches
out, perhaps on her knees in that crowd, and she touches the
hem of his garment, and BAM! She's made perfectly whole. The
vilest offender that truly believes that very moment from Jesus,
a pardon receives. It wasn't what flowed from her,
but flowed from him that caused the cure. That touch proved that
he's full of grace and truth. He touched me. Oh, He touched
me, and all the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and
now I know He touched me and He made me whole. He is precious. We spoke of the
past, but our text says He is precious. Present tense. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
has He not grown more precious with the passing of time? I mean
concerning everything else, everything you can see, everything you can
touch, that companion next to you. We have to say, change and
decay all around I see. Oh, but thou, thou, Lord Jesus,
thou that changest not, abide with me. He's not lost his luster. He's not lost his preciousness.
I should trust him not less, but with the passing of time
he's proven himself. Oh, for grace to trust him more. He's trustworthy. I got an email
yesterday in response to the bulletin. Oh, it just lifted me up, encouraged
me. I needed it. They said, Larry, every fiery
trial that I've experienced, This is just a part of what they
wrote. Knowing my only hope is in my Savior, and as He has eased
the trials, the time of rejoicing and thanksgiving was more blessed
than at any other time. What a blessed sinner I am. What a blessed sinner I am. On every stormy sea, when we
find ourselves at our wit's end, And then to see him, see him
walking on the stormy waves, raging water, and hear him say,
it is I. Don't be afraid. You've had that
experience, child of God. You've been at your wit's end.
What am I going to do? I won't bear up. I'm going to
drown. I can't take it. I'm going down."
And here He comes, at His own appointed time, at the very best
time, for your good and His glory. And oh, He speaks as never a
man spake, and says, Be not afraid, peace be still. Oh yes, what
a blessed sinner I am. Christ most precious, last of
all. Christ most precious. I think
about this so much, so much, more now than ever. And I should,
because I'm 68 years old. There's a whole lot more years
behind me than what's in front of me. But how precious when
we're leaving this world, when we're crossing over Jordan. Oh,
how precious. Never been there before, John.
Won't be coming back. Haven't had this experience before. Leaving this world. Oh, but to
hear him say, let us. As we step into those waters,
let us, the Lord Jesus says, let us, you're not by yourself,
Larry, us, let us pass over unto the other side. Oh, how precious
Christ will appear. When I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because thou You're
with me, my faithful guide, my great and faithful good shepherd. You're with me. I won't be alone. Larry, take my hand. Take my hand. It is I. Don't be afraid. And then when we cross over,
to see him. Oh my soul, I hear people talk
about golden streets and harps and mansions and all these things
again. They shall see his face. I talk regularly to a dear friend
that suffers, and you know who I'm talking about without me
calling his name. Most of you do. He suffers emotional problems. I don't understand those things,
but we talk weekly. Sometimes he's better than others,
but he's most of the time depressed. Every now and then he'll say
to me, Larry, I wonder, I wonder, I can't help but wonder why my
life has turned out this way. Why I'm like I am. And I say, oh, my friend, I don't
know. I don't know. I can't answer
that. But I know this. It's not going
to be for much longer. It's not going to be for much
longer. Listen to this. And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men. And he will dwell with them,
and they shall be his people. And God himself shall be with
them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. And there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
for the former things are wiped away, passed away. And he that
sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he
said unto me, write, for these words are true and faithful. The psalmist said, and every
child of God can echo his words. I'll be satisfied when I awake
in His likeness. What rejoicing in His presence
when our banished grief and pain, when the crooked ways are straightened
and the dark things shall be plain. Face to face, O blissful
moment, face to face to see and know, face to face with my Redeemer,
most precious, Jesus Christ, who loves me so. Until that day,
let us by His grace do what this last hymn that we're going to
sing in being dismissed says. I must tell Jesus. I must tell
Jesus. God bless you. Thank you for
your attention.