I invite you this morning to
turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 3. 1 Peter 3 is an exhortation to
live godly. To live godly. It is an encouragement
to those who are suffering for righteousness sake. If you live
godly in this precious world, you're gonna suffer persecution. So this is an encouragement for
those who are suffering for righteousness sake, and it's a reminder to
the suffering of the great, the greatness and the power of our
Lord, whose eyes is over the righteous, and whose ears are
open to their prayers. It's hard for us to imagine,
being earthly beings, that there is a everywhere present God,
a sovereign God, an eternal God, in his glory and magnificence,
who tunes his ears to your prayers. Do you ever think about that
when you pray? Why would God hear me? I'll tell you why, for Christ's
sake, that's why, that's why. And he hears, his ears are open,
just like a father's ears open to the cry of its child, God's
ears are open to our prayers. And our angels always stand before
him. They stand before him awaiting
his orders. And then right in the middle
of this chapter, verse 15, that's gonna be my text. This is what
he tells us to do. Sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts. Now what's he talking about when
he says sanctify the Lord God? He's talking about setting him
apart. Don't put him on the mantle with
your bowling trophies. You set him apart from everything
else in your life. You sanctify him in your hearts. You give him the right position. You acknowledge him as he is
God. You sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts. Make a clear distinction and
be ready always, anytime, whether you're expecting it or whether
you're not, you be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that's in you. And when you do, you do it with
meekness and fear. Set him apart. Make a clear distinction
concerning him. Thank on him as he is and as
he's revealed himself in the person of his son and by the
testimony of his apostles and prophets in the word. God is almighty. That's what the word of God says.
That's what the apostles say. That's what the prophets say.
God is almighty. When you set him apart in your
heart, you set him up rightfully as almighty God. You don't doubt what he can do.
You don't doubt his power. He's God. He's God. God is unchangeable. He's not
gonna change. You can talk about it all you
want to. Well, this wasn't here and that wasn't. He don't make
no, God's not gonna change. I am the Lord, I change not.
Isn't that what he said? With him is no bearableness,
neither shadow of turn. He's not gonna change. God is holy and just and good. and he's merciful and kind and
gracious. God is love. And God knows all
things. Now is that how we think about
God when we think about death? Is that the God that we cherish
in our heart? Is that the God that we sanctify
in our heart? Because that's the God that has
to be in your heart if you're motivated truly to live godly. And that's the God as he is that
must be established in your heart if you're gonna suffer for righteousness
sake. You're not gonna find any peace
anywhere else. I'll tell you this, when everything going smooth,
you don't even think on God, but boy, when disasters happen,
when you look out that window and them trees are sideways doing
it, boy, then we want things about God, don't we? Well, what's
the God we think on then? We think about Him that they
said even the winds and the waves obey His voice. Is that the God
we think of? The Holy God. Think on Him as He is and as
He's revealed Himself in the person of His Son. The living God. The God of the
Bible, the only true God, is the only one who can teach us
how and enable us to live a life of godliness. Nothing else will
work. I'm talking to you from my own
experience. Nothing else will work. You can
determine to do it, you're not gonna do it. You can decide to
do it, you're not gonna do it. He can do it. He can do it. And He can motivate us to serve
Him, this God, and He can give us peace and comfort in the world
that hates God. And He does it by way of revelation
of Himself through the person and work of His Son. Now listen
to this. John says this over in 1 John
chapter 5. He said, And we know that the
Son of God hath come, and given to us an understanding that we
may know him that is true. And that we're in him that is
true. Now here's this God, this almighty
God, this unchangeable God, this eternal God, this all-knowing
God. And John said, we not only know
who He is by the person and work of His Son, but we know that
we're in Him. That we're in this God. This
God is our hope. He'd given us an understanding
that we may know Him that is true and we're in Him that is
true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God
and eternal life. And before he said that, he made
this statement. Listen to this, 1 John 5, 19.
What a statement this is. We know that we are of God, and
the whole world lieth in wickedness. Man, what a statement. You mean a man can know if he's
of God? John did. Paul did. Now here's my question, and I'm
using 1 Peter 3.15 as my text. Why do I believe that I am of
God? Why do I believe that? I talk to people all the time.
People that I know don't know God. And they say, I'm of God. I have a good hope. Why do I believe I am of God
and the whole world lies in wickedness? Why do I believe I'm saved while
others are condemned? Why do I find assurance for my
salvation but none for the majority of professing Christendom? There is a gospel preached to
men and women that has a foundation. Are you listening? There's a
gospel preached that has a foundation and a gospel that has none whatsoever. They're both being preached.
They're being preached this very second while I'm preaching to
you. There's somebody else preaching the gospel that has no foundation
whatsoever. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians
3, to take heed how we build this house of faith, for other
foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is
Christ the Lord. He said, as a wise master builder,
I have laid the foundation. There is a gospel with a foundation. That's what I'm trying to make
this point. There's a gospel that has a basis. It has a foundation. It has a
solid rock on which to build. It's not a hope, a hope, a hope.
It's a good hope. Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's a good hope. It's a solid
hope. And any hope Any faith, any understanding
not built on Jesus Christ is a building with no foundation.
Now if you think that's a good thing, you go build your house
out here in the mud. See what happens. This whole religious world believes
they are above reproach. You can't question them. You
dare not question them. I'm saved. What do you mean you
question whether or not I'm saved? I told you I'm saved. Why do
you believe that? This whole religious world believes
they're above reproach and beyond question. As long as they say, I'm saying
it. I'm saying it. To inquire into the basis of
their hope is like a personal affront on their character and
at the very least a brief breach of social etiquette you just
dare not do it. It's just not something you do.
Not political. How do you say that politically
correct? Yet here in our text we're told
to be ready to give to any man that asks us a reason for our
hope. We're told to do that, Jesse.
Somebody says, well why do you think you're saved? Why do you
think that church over there is preaching the truth and all
these other churches aren't. Why? Why? Why? That's what you're
going to get asked. Well, when you're asked, he said,
be ready to give an answer. Be ready to give an answer. And
I'm going to tell you something. If you don't have the answer,
you don't know God. You don't know God. Because he
doesn't save people without a basis. He doesn't save people without
an understanding. He don't save people without
a foundation. You're not saved because you
feel saved. You're not saved because you think you're saved.
You're saved if this foundation is built, and you're built on
that, on Christ. Now seeing that our hope is that upon which we're resting
our eternal souls, Is it so unreasonable to ask why? Should that be offensive? I'm
talking about your eternal souls is gonna rest on this. Now there's a word that you're
gonna find often in the Bible, as God sets forth his promises
to his children. And that word is unheard of in
religion. And it's the word according.
According. According. You find it more times
in a row in Ephesians chapter one than anywhere else in the
scripture. But he uses it often throughout the scripture. The hope of glory, the hope of
my sins being put away, the hope of being justified, the hope
of eternal life is not just wishful thinking. It's not just yours
proclaiming it or yours because you want it to be yours. It has
a basis. It has a foundation and reasons
for it and reasons behind it. This is why when God saves one,
He begins with stripping that man. He strips him. Paul talks about this stripping,
and he talks about it concerning his own personal experience over
in Philippians chapter 3. He said, what things were gained
to me, I counted loss for Christ. And I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I've suffered the loss of all things. and do count them
but done that I may win Christ. When God convinces a man of sin,
he convinces him of the nature of it. The very nature of it. Before God called us, Paul said,
we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. We
had the same character, we had the same motives, we had the
same actions, we had the same deeds. Such were some of you,
but you're washed. And the nature of sin is total
depravity. Don't mistake that. If I'm up
here or somebody else is up here in my place and they're talking
about the nature of sin, they're talking about total depravity.
None good, no not one. None righteous. That's kind of
all exclusive, isn't it? None that understandeth. None
that seeketh after God. None, none, none, none. He just
keeps telling you that. And what's he doing in Romans
chapter 3? He's telling us that we're all
under sin. What does it mean to be under
sin? There's none good, none righteous, none that understandeth,
none that seeketh after God. All gone astray. No profit in man. Man at his
best state, at his pinnacle of strength and success, at the
height of his accomplishment, he's altogether vanity. When God convinces a man of sin,
he convinces him of the nature of it, and then he convinces
him of the curse of it. What is the curse of sin? Separation
from God. without god in the world and
i have all said he found those occasions without christ and
without god in the world no idea nothing they knew nothing about
covenant salvation did you know you raised in religion you know
i ever heard the word covenant salvation i never did separation from god get out Get
out. You're no longer fit to tend
my garden. Get out. What hope is there for a man
who's cursed of God? Can this man look within himself
and find some kind of hope? That leper out there outside
the camp wasn't allowed to come to worship, wasn't allowed to
come in and mingle with the people. He's all out there. He's in isolation
out there by himself. Any hope for him in himself? The Bible said, cursed is everyone
who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law
to do. Sin entered and death passed
upon all men. By the offense of one, judgment
came upon all men to condemnation. God convinces a man of sin. He
convinces him not only of the nature of it and the curse of
it, but he convinces him of his spiritual deadness. He's dead. I remember one of John's brothers
came to hear me one night down at the old church and he left
there and he told Russell, he said, dead, dead, dead, dead,
dead, that's all that man knows is dead. That's all he could
hear. And he didn't even hear that. When God convinces a man of sin,
he convinces him that he's a dead man. He's dead spiritually. His wildest imagination is not
going to have any truth in it about the true and living God.
He's dead, spiritually. Not affected by truth, no fear
of God before his eyes. Receiveth not the love of the
truth that he might be saying. When God convinces a man of sin,
He convinces him of the Father of all sinners. Father of all sinners, the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience. This one who takes men captive
at his will, who orchestrates antichrist religion in the world
and blinds men to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In short, the
sinner, when God convinces him of his sin, sees himself doomed,
except God intervenes. Is that right? He quits looking
to himself, and he quits looking to religion, and he quits looking
around, he quits looking to his family, and he starts looking
to God. God, have mercy on me, the sinner,
because you're the only one who can. He sees that if God turns him
over to himself, he's just gonna self-destruct. He'll make all
the wrong decisions for all the wrong reasons. He'll go down all the wrong roads
to all the wrong destinations, and he'll find some useless,
baseless religion, and he'll revel in it till he dies, and
he'll wake up in judgment. when a man brought to see his
own ignorance. He don't know God. He don't know
how God saves sinners. He don't know anything. That's
what that man told me. He said, well, why do you want
me to go down there to that revival? And I said, well, we've got an
evangelist down here. I'd like for you to hear him
preach. He said, what's he preach? I said, the gospel. He said,
you wouldn't know the gospel if you met it in the middle of
the road. I said, well, you mean I don't know it? Well, if you
know it, what is it? That's what I'm asking you today.
What is it? What's the basis of your hope? Now I tell you, when God convinces
a man of sin, he suddenly realizes he don't know. And that's what happened to me. I
realize I don't know the gospel. I don't know God. The God I've been hearing is
nothing like the God of this Bible. The God of this Bible, he declares
the end from the beginning, from ancient times, the things that
are not yet done. The God of religion don't do
that. He has to wait to see what you're going to do. Huh? If that don't make you nauseous,
there's something wrong with you. He knows he's going to self-destruct
when a man brought to see his own ignorance. He don't know
God, he don't know how God saves sinners, and he don't know why.
He don't know who Christ is, or why he came, or what he did,
or where he's at, or what he's doing. He's up in heaven, what's
he doing up there? I don't know. We're a man brought to this place.
Emotional religion has no appeal to him anymore. He's not worried
about whether or not he feels good about himself anymore. Foolish
ceremonies, decisions, and verbal recitations, they don't make
sense to him anymore. He must now have godly reasoning. Isn't that what our Lord said?
He said, come let us reason together, saith the Lord. That's where
he has to bring you. That's where he has to bring
you. He must now have godly reasoning. He must have scriptural declarations. He must find that precious foundation
without which his hope will not survive that overwhelming scourge
that's gonna pass through. Now what I want us to do this
morning is go through the scriptures and look at some of these places
where the word according is used concerning our faith and hope
in God. Now let's begin over here in
1 Corinthians chapter 15. I'll go through these pretty
quick. I took a little extra time in
my introduction. The gospel. God's gospel. And the gospel that saves chosen
sinners is a gospel according to the scriptures. It's according
to the scriptures. If somebody stands before you
and starts to preach the gospel and has no scriptural basis for
it, turn him off. If a man comes, John said, and
brings not the doctrine of Christ, Don't let him in your house. Imagination has no part in it. Visions have no part in it. Natural reasoning has no part
in it. Neither what seems logical or
reasonable. I want you to listen to this,
1 Corinthians 15. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have
received and wherein you stand. By which also you're saved if
you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed
in vain. Now anybody in here have any
doubt that he's talking about the salvation of their souls,
talking about their faith. Now watch this. For I delivered
unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according, you see that, to the Scriptures. How did he die? According to
the Scriptures. Religion said he died a universal
death, not according to the Scriptures. Religion says he died a death
that could be in vain. Not according to the scriptures.
You see what I'm saying? Here's the reason, here's the
foundation of my faith, right here. It's according to the scriptures. Not according to what I, I don't
have to worry about what I think being all mixed up and turned
around. Build it on what God said, not
on what you think. It's according to the scriptures.
And that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according
to the scriptures. Well, what's the scriptures say
about it? Well, the scriptures said he was delivered for our
offenses and raised again for our justification. Paul preached
to them the gospel according to the scriptures. It's not according to our church
covenant. It's not according to popular
opinion. It's not according to these rudimentary
principles of the world. It's according to the word of
God. Let God be true. Are you listening? And every man a liar. Well, what if he has a PhD? He's
a smart liar. That's what that means. He's
an educated liar. were built, Paul said in Ephesians
2.20, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Secondly, our hope,
the hope of God's people, the hope in its totality is according
to our election of God. Can I make good on that? Turn
with me to Ephesians chapter one. I want you to see this for yourselves
in the word of God. Ephesians chapter one, beginning
with verse three. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Now, just pause there
for a moment, let me tell you something. This is God the Father, back
yonder in eternity. And he's determined to bless
a people with all his blessings. I can't imagine what all the
blessings of God must mean. I can't take it all in. I know
some of them, and I rejoice in the ones I know, but I just can't,
this finite mind cannot take in the totality. But here he
is, and he's blessing, he's determined, he's blessed as the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings and heavenly places in Christ. All provision, all
requirements, all demands trusted into the hands of Christ for
the complete and total redemption of His people. And they're all
according to God's election of His people in His Son. You see
that in that next verse? You cannot build the house of
faith and skip over election. Election's not something you
sweep into the corner, it's not needed, it's optional. If you're
an intellect, we'll talk about it, but other than that, don't
preach it to the people, you just confuse them. No, there's
nothing confusing about God choosing the people. We've been learning about that
since we was in kindergarten. Who wants to carry the flag?
Choose me. Choose me. We know all about
choosing. It's not that difficult, is it? God chose who he's going
to save. Chose who he's going to save. Election designates the blessing
set forth, the objects of his love, and makes eternal provision
for him in this election. And it makes provision in the
Savior. Now look at this, Ephesians 1, 4. According, see that word
there again? That means this is the basis
of it. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world. You mean God chose who he was
gonna save? That's what he says. He's God,
he can do what he will. Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people, his people, from their sins.
How'd they get to be his people? God chose them in him. Isn't
that what I just read to you? God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. The rest he gave over to strong delusion to believe
a lie and be damned. break i don't believe in election
i'd like to know how many times i've heard that i just don't
believe in elect then you have no foundation for any kind of
hope before god because all spiritual blessings are according as he
had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world now that
makes it a vital part of our hope before god Thirdly, and
you can find this also in Ephesians chapter one, the foundation of
our hope rests in the eternal will, the redemptive will and
predestination of God. Those men told, they made predestination
out to me to be something satanic, something evil and wicked, something
that it was for God to know and not you. That's how they, when
I ask them questions about predestination, that's what I got back in my
face. But then I started to look at these things and hear men
talk about these things and preach them right, and I saw that predestination
is the very foundation of my hope. Listen to this, verse five. Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ
to himself, now listen, according to the good pleasure of his will. What about that? Wasn't my will
after all, God's will. And boy, look at this. He's talking
about his redemptive will because it's his good pleasure. It's
his good pleasure. Now men, they'll be willing,
that's what it says in Scripture, they'll be willing in the day
of His power. But it wasn't their will that saved them, it's God's. It's His will that chose you
and fixed everything in eternity to save your soul for the glory
of His name. Look down here in verse 11. Now
that's what God did in the beginning. Here's what happened in time. In whom, verse 11, also, somebody in Christ, we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated. Huh? According to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. You mean that day I said in that
congregation And that certain man got up here to preach, and
he chose that text, and that text rang clear as a bell to
my heart. You mean God predestinated that? That's exactly what he's saying
here. The only way you can have a sure
end is to have a sure beginning and a sure middle. And God says
that in this he stands alone. Listen to the words of Isaiah.
He said, I am God, and beside me there is none other. Declaring
the end from the beginning. Huh? And saying from ancient
times the things that are not yet done. He declares them from
the beginning. He declares the end from the
beginning and from ancient times of things that are not yet done
saying, now watch this, my counsel shall stand and I'll do all my
pleasure. What's his pleasure? Well, the
good pleasure of his will is to predestinate you to the adoption
of sons and in time he does that very thing and you obtain your
inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Now do you see any way that that's not a part of your hope? Why do you think that you're
gonna go through all this? Why do you think you're so special
that God has marked you out and made you his child? Why do you
believe? Because he predestinated it. Our hope is altogether based
Now watch this, upon the grace of God. What makes you think you're saved?
The grace of God makes me think that. Our hope is altogether based
upon the grace of God. Human merit and works find no
place in the faith of God's elect. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should bow. His election is an election of
grace, and if by grace, then it's no more works, otherwise
grace is no more grace. It is, Ephesians 1, 6, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the blood, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. Sounds
like all grace to me. What does that sound like to
you? Huh? Our eternal union with Christ
is defined this way, by grace ye are saved. And our salvation by grace, Ephesians
1, 9, is according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in
himself. It's pure grace, it's not mixed
with works, it is God's grace without any mixture of man and
a person. It's all grace, and it's free
grace, no price on the part of the sinner. It's effectual grace,
never failing to deliver. And it's reigning grace ruling
in the lives of them to whom God has given it. The hymn writer said, well, he
actually titled this old hymn, Grace Greater Than Our Sins. That's great grace. That's true
grace. And if God intervenes in your
life and enables you to build the house of faith, you'll build
it upon the foundation of the grace of God. And then fifthly,
this one comes from Philippians chapter four. Our hope of glory is built upon
the person and work of Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter four, verse
19. He said, but my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Everything you need's
in him. He's the all-sufficient Savior. You're not gonna need something
somewhere down in time and ain't gonna be able to get, no, it's
all in him. Everything God demands from the
sinner, He provides in the person of His dear Son. He's made to
be unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
And what about earthly needs? Paul said, he that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? There is no ifs in
this promise. He shall supply all your needs
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2,
but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses and sins has
quickened us together with Christ raised us up together in Christ,
seated us in heavenly places in Christ with full acceptance,
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
what? His grace. In his kindness toward us in
Christ Jesus. And real faith and godly hope
are built upon the sufficiency of Christ. It's not built on
you. People struggling to find assurance,
they don't have this foundation, they don't have this reasoning.
Our sufficiency is in Him. It's in Him, it ain't in you,
it's in Him. Every time I think about that,
I think about Mephibosheth. He couldn't do anything. He lay
him on his feet, he was ruined by the fall and earth dropped
him Here he was, he couldn't walk, he had to be carried in,
and he knew he was hated and despised. He was of the household
of Saul, and David was killing everybody in that household.
They were being destroyed. And here's old Mephibosheth,
and he just, he don't have anything, and he come in there, and David
said, put the royal robe on him, and bring him in. From now on,
he eats at my table. My soul. Huh? You think Mephibosheth thought
on his strength? No. He thought on David's strength. He didn't think on his glory,
he thought on the glory of David. You think he rejoiced in that
covenant promise? Oh, my soul. They build upon the sufficiency
of Christ. In him, Paul said, dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him. Preacher, you don't really believe
yourself to be righteous, do you? I am in Christ. I am in Christ. Scripture said
I'm spotless. without blemish, without any
possibility of sin. Paul said in Romans 3.21, but
now the righteousness of God without the laws manifested,
being witnessed by the law and prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, his faithfulness,
not mine, his, unto all and upon all them that believe. And Paul said that I might win
Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but the righteousness of God by faith. I walk and hope and live in this
world, trusting only in the righteousness of Christ. And this one last
thing here in our clothes. Faith is the working of His mighty
power. Ephesians 119, the working of
His mighty power. Bringing a dead sinner, a guilty
vile sinner into full acceptance with God with a real and present
hope in Christ is according to the exceeding greatness of His
power to usward who believe. Isn't that something? And there's many more scriptures.
If you have a concordance sometime, look up that word according.
According, and go through and look at them. Almost every one
of them have to do with your hope before God. And it's according
to this, according to that, according to that. Now, be ready. Be ready. Always. Any man ask
you a reason why you believe, you can tell him. You can tell
them, here's why, here's why. Got nothing to do with me, has
everything to do with God. Had nothing to do with my work,
has everything to do with Christ's work. Be able to tell them.