Before we do, the hymn in our
hymn book, I Love to Tell the Story. It says, I love to tell
the story more wonderful it seems than all the golden fancies of
all our golden dreams. I love to tell the story it did
so much for me, and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
The last verse says, I love to tell the story for those who
know it best seem hungry and thirsting to hear it like the
rest. And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song will be the old, old story that I
have loved so long. I love to tell the story to you
who know it best, and I believe that some are hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest. It doesn't get old, does it?
Dreams, fancies, those things do. unsubstantial, vapors, even
those that aren't dreams, all those things we see and hold
will soon be forced to let go. Oh, but the child of God, as
Peter told these, they have a reservation laid up for them in heaven that
can never, never fade away. I want to talk to you this morning
about our precious Savior, our precious Savior. Here in 1 Peter
chapter 2, in verses 2, or I'm sorry, verse 4, and then in verse
6, and then in verse 7, that word is used. It's used concerning
God, it's used concerning us, it's used concerning Christ himself. All three places, however, speak
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's precious to God. He's precious
to the believer. He's precious in himself. He's
preciousness. If you would look up the word
precious in the dictionary, it would say something like this.
Costly. Very costly. High priced. Held dear. Or invaluable. Invaluable. You can't put a price
on it. Priceless. Priceless. The pearl
of great price. How precious? How would you answer
this question? How precious is Jesus Christ? How rare is he? How valuable
is he? Well, consider, he's one of a
kind. There's not another like him.
Like the bride in Solomon's song said, he's the fairest among
ten thousand. There's not another like him.
He's the lily of the valley. He's the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth. He's the only Savior, the one
and only Savior. How rare does that make Him?
How priceless and valuable does that make Him? He's the only
Savior there is. He's the only way to God. Now
I know in our politically and religiously correct society,
you're supposed to allow that everyone can go to God their
own way, And we're all going to heaven, we're just taking
different avenues. That might sound pretty to people
who have no better sense, but it's just not so. Christ said,
I'm the way. There's not another. No man cometh
to the Father except by me. You can't get there any other
way. He's the only mediator. There's
only one mediator between God and man, and it's not Mary. And
it's not Saint whoever, it's the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the
only door, the only door. By me, he said, if a man shall
enter in, he shall be saved with an everlasting salvation. He's
the only one by whom God will accept a sinner. That's exactly
right. He's the only one by whom God
Almighty will accept a sinner. It'll be, I think, in your bulletin
for next Sunday, a brief article by Pastor Frank Tate. It's called Found in Him. Listen
to this. Frank wrote, when a parent watches
a child perform in a sporting event or a play, he or she really
only watches one child. Is that right, John? Only one
child. Theirs. Theirs. Because parents
love their children. When God the Father looks on
his elect people, he only sees one, his son. Because God the
Father loves his son. And he only loves and accepts
his people because they are in his son. Oh, that I may be found
in him. First of all, verse 4 here in
1 Peter 2, precious to God. Jesus Christ is precious
to God. The text says he was disallowed
indeed of men. Now that is a quote from Psalm
119 verse 22. The stone which the builders
refused, refused, rejected. They say we'll not have this
man rule over us. We have no king but Caesar. Anybody, Pilate, you better think
about this, because anybody that makes himself a friend of this
man, Caesar's going to hear about it. And it won't go well with
you. He's not a friend of Caesar's.
They were the builders that thus stirred up the mob, the cry,
crucify him. It was the leaders. It was the
instructors. It was the teachers. I remember
hearing Brother Henry Mahan preach many years ago And he said, do
you know who keeps the gospel? The gospel. The gospel of God's
grace. The good news. The gospel that
concerns God's Son. The glorious gospel of God. Do
you know who keeps it out of the churches? It's the pastors. The leaders. just as it was in
Christ's day. But notice in verse 4, disallowed
indeed of men, but, but chosen of God, chosen of God and precious. God said, behold, let me show
you something. Behold, let me direct your attention
to this, this sight, this wonder. This is the one in whom I find
complete satisfaction. This is the one, the only one
in whom I am well pleased. Behold my son. my elect, in whom
my soul delighted. He shall not fail. How do you like that? He shall
not fail. He will accomplish, and that's
the language of scripture. He will accomplish everything
that I'm sending him into the world to do. He'll get it done. It'll be finished. And again,
that is a quote from Psalm 118. Verse 22 and 23, the stone which
the builders refused has become the headstone of the corner.
How did that happen? This is the Lord's doing and
it's marvelous in our eyes. But chosen of God, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God. Now that means something. That matters. That makes a difference. chosen of God. That makes all
the difference. Their will was, we won't have
this man. We'll have our religious tradition,
but we'll have it without Jesus Christ. We won't have him. We'll keep our temple, but he
who was the fulfillment of everything in that temple, away with him. But God said, he'll be made the
head of the corner. God willed otherwise. Now whose
choice will prevail? Who's going to have their way?
Who's going to have their way? Man or God? In Matthew chapter
27, after the Lord had been crucified, after he'd been put in the tomb,
the leaders, the Pharisees, they came to Pilate and they said,
the next day that followed the day of preparation in Matthew
27 verse 62, The chief priest and the Pharisees came together
under Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember. Isn't it something
how they remembered what the Lord said but his disciples didn't?
We remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive after
three days, I will rise again. Command, therefore, that the
sepulcher be made sure until the third day lest his disciples
come by night and steal him away and say unto the people he is
risen from the dead. so that the last error will be
worse than the first. Pilot said unto them, you have
a watch, go and make it as sure as you can. He spoke, though
he didn't know it prophetically, didn't he? Make it as sure as
you can. Do all that you can do. I give you everything you
ask. I'll give you a garden. We'll seal the tomb. Nobody dare
break that Roman seal. So they went and made the sepulcher
sure, sealing the tombstone and setting a watch. But God, but
God had willed that his son raise from the dead. And he did. From the grave he arose, a mighty
victor over all his foes. That's our great God and Savior.
We read of this in Psalm 2. Why do the heathen rage? and
the people imagined vain things. The kings of the earth set themselves
and the rulers and took counsel together against the Lord and
against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder
and cast away their cords from us." What did God do? Was God concerned? Was he caught
off guard? Was this more than he could...
Did he not take this into account beforehand? Listen at the next
verse in Psalm 2. He, that is God, that saith in
the heavens undisturbed, Because He knows better. Regardless of
what their will was, no matter how contrary it was to God's
purpose and will, God knew whose will was going to be realized.
He sits in the heaven undisturbed and He laughs. The Lord shall
have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them
in his wrath, and vex them in his sword displeasure. Yet, yet,
despite everything that they could do, yet have I set my king
upon my holy hill of Zion. King Jesus, I will declare the
decree. The Lord has said unto me, Thou
art my son. This day have I begotten thee. That's exactly what the disciples
went out preaching, was it not? In Acts chapter 4, Peter and
John are brought before the Sanhedrin over the healing of the lame
man at the gate of the temple. They said, in the name of Jesus,
rise up and walk, and he did. So they're put in jail. The next
day they're brought before the elite, the religious elite, the
who's who, political and religious. And Peter answers them and says,
if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent
man by what means he is made whole, be it known unto you all,
like it or not, and to all the people of Israel, that by the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucify, whom God raised
from the dead, even by him that this man stand here before you
whole, this is the stone Peter quotes from Psalm 118. This is
the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which has become
the headstone of the corner. And he said, if you don't like
that, try this. Neither is there salvation in
any other. For there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Call his name Jesus. Jesus, he
shall save his people, all of his people, from all of their
sins. That's why, Joseph, I want you
to call him Jesus. It means God's salvation. The
salvation of Jehovah. And he is mighty to save. He,
Jesus. Oh, how precious is that name.
Jesus Christ forever the same, able to save unto the uttermost.
Bobby, close that song she sang to us a minute ago that way.
It ended that way, didn't it? Oh, then come to Jesus. Come
today. The spirit and the bridegroom
say, come to Christ for he is all in all. He's able to save
to the uttermost. From the guttermost to the uttermost,
all that come unto God by him. The apostles, you see, didn't
preach a doctrine of the resurrection. No, they didn't. They preached
a risen Savior. I read one commentator who said,
during the days of persecution as it was when Peter wrote this
epistle, and the people that he wrote it to, when you would
be put to death for professing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
believers, if they were scattered as these were, and were strangers,
they would approach someone and say, he is risen. He is risen. And if they responded, yes, he
is risen. They knew they found a believer. Oh, he is risen. I read this comment by Brother
Tommy, Tommy Robbins, the other day when I was reading. He said,
our speech betrays us. Those who don't know Christ speak
great things concerning themselves. Yes, they do. They've got nothing
better to talk about. And that ain't much. But those
who know Christ speak greater things concerning Him. Oh, how great thou art! How great thou art! That's what
the hymn writer said. And when I think, when I think
as much as this little Grave matter I have will allow me to.
When I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die,
I scarce can take it in. that on the cross, my burden
gladly bearing, He bled and died. To do what? To take a stab at
it? To hope something comes of it?
To see what the sinner will do with it? No, He bled and died,
and in doing so, glory to His name, He took away my sins. So in that day that we look for,
but they'll not be found. Ephesians chapter 1, how high
did God the Father exalt His Son? The highest place that heaven
affords. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 20,
God wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and
set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places far above,
far above, higher, greater above all principality, and power,
and might, and dominion, and every name that's named, not
only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and
hath put all things, some things, no, all things under his feet,
and gave him to be the head over all things of the church, which
is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."
Christ is all. Don, you've probably heard him
tell the story. I think he made mention of it
in his tribute to Brother Henry Mahan a few weeks ago. He said he went as a young man,
a young preacher, went to visit Henry in his office at a church
at 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky. And after they sat and talked
a while before Don left, Henry found the place in Galatians
and turned it to Don and said, read those words, Christ is all. And we say, young man, when you
learn that, you'll be ready to preach the gospel. Christ is
all, all in all. Philippians chapter 2, who being
in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, that is Jesus Christ, made himself of no reputation, but
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men. And being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself. and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore, for that reason, God
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every tongue should bow, or rather
every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. I hear folks say,
won't you make Jesus Lord? Won't you make him the lord of
your life? I mean, you're a carnal Christian. You've got a little problem there.
You're going to lose some reward. I mean, you've accepted him as
your savior, but if you never bowed to him, you'll go to heaven
all right. But your mansion's not going to be as big as your
neighbors. Won't you make him lord of your
life, my soul? How stupid. Stupid. How ignorant. That betrays the
total ignorance of God's Word. There ain't no such critter as
a carnal Christian. There is no such thing as a believer
that's not bowed to Jesus Christ. That's ridiculous. Make Him Lord
of your life. You're too late. Way too late.
Because God Almighty already did it. Christ arose. Oh, Christ arose. We remember
him till he come. He's not in the tomb anymore.
He arose from the dead. And that means the very fact
that God raised his son from the dead means that God is satisfied
with his son's offering. offering of himself without spot
or blemish to God. That means God accepted it. That
means God was satisfied with it. The ransom was accepted. It means Christ rising from the
dead means proof abundant, proof positive that our sins were put
away. It means that Jesus Christ obtained
eternal redemption for all of his people. He got the job done. When I was a young boy at home,
my father, myself, my brothers, we had chores to do. He was old-fashioned. We had chores to do. And if we
didn't do them, we'd have to answer to him. And sometimes
I would try to just do part of them. And he'd say, Larry, I
looked at this or that. You didn't finish the job, son.
You didn't finish the job. Oh, God Almighty, son, You finished the job. You accomplished, you obtained
eternal redemption for your people. Sit right here until I make all
your enemies bow before you. Before I cast them into outer
darkness, they're going to confess that you're the Lord God Almighty. Christ rising from the dead means
God now is perfectly just when he justifies a sinner. Only Jesus
Christ enabled God to do that. Yeah, he's precious. He's precious
to God the Father. And child of God, you'll bear
witness to this, I know. He's precious to the believer.
Verse 7, unto you therefore which believe, He is precious, invaluable,
priceless. Where would you be? What would
you do? What hope would you have without
Him? without him. Every believing
sinner declares Christ is the most precious thing he has. There's
nothing compares to him. Moses counted the riches of Jesus
Christ greater than all the treasures in Egypt he turned his back on.
Paul counted all things he ever had or ever knew or thought he
knew as done that he might win Christ and be found in him. The
Lord Jesus Christ has a people in this world and He calls them
His own. His peculiar people. His own special people. He's
not ashamed. Think about this. He's not ashamed
to call them brethren. Not ashamed. They are His because
His Father gave them to Him. There He is because He bought
them with His own precious blood. There He is because He called
them by His Spirit to Himself. There He is. He loves them. He
cares for them. He leads them. He protects them. And now He's preparing a mansion
in heaven for them that where they are, where He is rather,
there they may be also. Happy are those people who have
the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't you value this distinction?
As a believer, among everything this world might bestow, I am
His, and He is mine. What else matters? What else
matters? Is that not precious? Oh yes,
His people are precious to Him, and He is above all things precious
to them. Notice again verse 4. To whom
coming? To whom coming? Salvation's not
in what. Salvation's not in things. Not what. What didn't suffer
and die? What wasn't made sin? But Christ
was. Our elder brother was. When that
mob came for him in John 18 in the Garden of Gethsemane, and
he stepped forward knowing all things that should come upon
him, he didn't say to them, here's my word, or here's my doctrine,
or here's my teaching, take it. No. He said, here am I, take
me. Take me. It wasn't a word or
a doctrine that was nailed to the cross. It was the Son of
the Living God. It was flesh of our flesh and
bone of our bones. It was He that did no sin, and
knew no sin, and in whom there was no sin, and yet, in a way
that I cannot understand or I can't explain, I can just bow down
and adore before it, yet He was made sin. Not made like sin,
that's not what the text says. No. He was made sin. How could that be? I don't know.
But we're told he was that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Here am I, take me. Oh, precious, precious Savior.
Precious salvation from him. Precious blood that cleanses
us from all sin. We don't trust his work. We trust
him. To whom coming, Peter writes. Not to what. We trust Jesus Christ
the person. Every believer values Christ
above everything else. Let others think of Him what
they will, say what they will. Those who have been taught of
God highly value Him. They can never honor Him enough,
love Him enough, praise Him enough, or bow low enough before Him.
They know they can't. Every believer discovers the
suitability of Jesus Christ He's everything they need. Everything. They need to be saved. Christ
is able to save them to the uttermost. They need His blood to cleanse
them. And His blood cleanses them from all sin. They need
His righteousness to clothe their souls and justify them before
a holy God. And He does so. They need His
intercession to secure them from all evil. and he ever intercedes
on their behalf. They need his fullness of grace
to supply all their needs from earth to heaven and he is full
of grace and truth. To whom coming do you that believe? Old John Bunyan, he tells the
story when he was passing through conviction of sin. That's another
old-fashioned truth of God's Word. When a sinner is made to
realize, made to feel in the depths of their soul that they're
the sinner. I don't mean just giving lip
service to it. Made to know Bunyan described
that experience. Seeking mercy from God and he
thought there's no way, there's just no way that God's gonna
forgive me. No way. He said, I've been too
great a sinner. But he said, I found that God
was so far from refusing to receive me when I came to Him for Christ's
sake, that there was rejoicing in heaven that day, because old
John Bunyan came home. Came home. Isn't that what the
Lord taught? In Luke 15, what man of you having
a hundred sheep, if he should lose one, does not leave the
ninety and nine in the wilderness? and go after that one which is
lost until he find it. I came to seek and to save. And
when he hath found it, he layeth it upon his shoulders rejoicing."
Rejoice. For the joy that was set before
him, he endured the cross. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for
I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. O come,
ye sinners, Joseph's heart wrote, come ye sinners poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love, and power. Come ye thirsty, come and welcome.
God's free bounty glorified. True belief and true repentance.
Every grace that brings you nigh. I will arise and go to Jesus. That's what the prodigal said.
I will arise and go to Jesus. He will embrace me in his arm. He didn't cast me off. He didn't cast me off. He said,
welcome. Welcome. Come. Come and welcome. I will arise and go to Jesus.
He will embrace me in his arms, in the arms of my dear Savior. Oh, there are 10,000 charms.
Matthew Henry said, There are none sent away from
Christ empty, except those who come to Him full of themselves. Like that self-righteous, bragging
Pharisee, he left the temple, and perhaps some of you will
today. Leave the temple, leave this place just exactly like
you came. Don't know Christ, came in not
knowing Christ, not interested in Christ, don't want to know
Christ, you get up and leave the same exact way. Oh, but may
God, may the God of all grace, make you like that self-loathing
beggar, the publican. God be merciful to me, I'm the
sinner. And lo and behold, we're told
he left the temple that day, nothing like he was when he came
in. He left that day justified. The preacher didn't tell him
that. The soul winner didn't tell him that. He didn't make
it up. Jesus Christ himself says, I tell you, that man's going
home justified. He might live in a shack, but
he's going home justified. He might lay down with nothing
to eat, but he's going to lay there with a piece of God in
his heart, justified from all things from which he could never
be justified except through Christ. The believers. that God-given
faith renders Christ precious to them. Faith is the eye which
sees the beauty of the Lord Jesus. It's the foot which travels to
Christ. It's the hand which lays hold
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the mouth which tastes that
the Lord is gracious. It's the new life within which
clings and cleaves the Jesus Christ from which it came. Not
unto you that work, Sacrifice, pray, give, preach, know to you
that believe. The hymn writer said, the vilest
offender that truly believes. Isn't this amazing? That moment,
that very moment from Jesus, a pardon receives. A pardon,
a full free pardon. Brother Henry was preaching at
a prison one time. large auditorium of prisoners. And during the course of his
message, he asked, would you raise your hand if you know,
do you know what propitiation means? Like Donnie said, they
looked at him like a calf looking at a new gate. They didn't have
a clue. What about reconciliation? Do you know what that means?
No, no. He said, does anybody here know
what a pardon is? What that means is that every
hand in the room went up. A full pardon they received. Lord, to whom shall we go? Peter
asked as the multitude walked away and turned their back on
Jesus Christ. He asked his disciples, do you
want to join them? And Peter said, Lord, to whom
shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we believe
and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. Oh, blessed is the sinner that
can say the same. As the Holy Spirit imparts a
real sense of personal sinfulness, He won't leave you there. If
He strips you, He's going to rope you. If He brings you down,
it's to lift you up. Oh, if He makes you aware of
your sin, there'll be a corresponding appreciation in your heart of
the value, the sufficiency, the preciousness of the Lord Jesus
Christ. One hymn writer, I ran across
this as I was studying, he said, chosen of God and precious too,
is Christ in each believer's view. Built upon him and established
here, they all as living stones appear. No other trust shall
intervene. To him I'll look, on him I'll
lean, and all foundations I'll disown, but him who is the living
stone Here my salvation stands secure, this rock of ages must
endure, nor shall my hope be overthrown, built upon Christ
the living stone. Last of all, verse 6, wherefore
it is contained in the scripture, behold I lay in Zion, this is
God speaking, a chief cornerstone elect, precious, and he that
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Precious. Christ the same yesterday, today,
and forever. He never loses any of his merit,
never loses any of his value, never loses any of his preciousness,
his efficacy, his worth. I remember lying in bed the first
night after Christ has spoken these sweet words to my fearful,
doubting heart, just as I am without one plea. Doubtings and
fears within, without, oh, but Lamb of God, I come, I come.
And when I did, he said, thy sins, which are many, are all
forgiven. Go in peace. Sweet, sweet comfort of having
peace with God as I lay down that night. The peace of God
and peace with God. Because I had Jesus Christ who
is our peace. And I remember thinking, man,
this is too good to be true. He saved me. He saved me. My soul. What a wonder. He saved me. My old friends started
spreading the word around. Did you hear about Larry? Did
you hear about Larry? He got religion. He got religion. And I said,
no, no, no, no. Thank God. Larry was saved by
grace because God was pleased to reveal his son to me. Jesus is precious, says the word.
What comfort does this truth afford? And those who in his
name believe with joy his precious truth received. No health, no
wealth, no sounding fame, nor earth's deceitful empty name,
with all its pomp and all its glare, can with a precious Christ
compare. He's precious in his precious
blood, that pardoning and soul-cleansing blood. He's precious in his righteousness,
that everlasting heavenly dress. And as they draw near their journeys
end, How precious is their heavenly friend. And when in death they
bow their head, how precious on a dying bed. He that believeth shall not be
confounded, verse 6. That's from Isaiah 28, verse
16. There it says, he that believeth
shall not make haste. Child of God, there's no need
to panic, to be confused, to be doubtful, be afraid. Just rest easy. The foundation
of God standeth sure. I hear from time to time people
who profess to know God, professing Christians, speak so dishonoring
of God, the God that they claim to believe in. They say things
like, oh, I hope I make it. Oh, I just don't know. I'm not
sure. I hope I finally get to heaven. God, give me grace and faith
to sing with Mr. Toplady. For whence this fear
and unbelief? Hath not the Father put to grief
his spotless Son for me? And will the righteous judge
of men condemn me for that debt of sin which Lord was charged
to thee? Complete atonement thou hast
made, and to the utmost farthing pay all that thy people owe. nor can God's wrath on me take
place if sheltered in His righteousness and sprinkled with His blood. Now in a moment we're going to
remember our Lord in the observance of the Lord's Supper. May He
give us grace to truly remember Him and to remember that we're
redeemed not with silver and gold but with the precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ who was foreordained before the foundation
of the world was manifest in these last times for you. For you. Isn't that amazing?
God bless you. Thank you for your time.