Will you turn with me to 1st
Peter? Did you hold your place at Psalm
73? Well, you shouldn't have. 1st Peter. We're going to begin by reading
the first nine verses in just a moment of 1st Peter. And then we're going to go to
chapter 5 where Peter, in concluding his letter, his first epistle
of the two, He concludes it in much the same way as he began
it. Typical of the life of a believer.
We begin this look, or rather this journey by looking to Christ,
and we'll end it by looking to Christ. And every step we've
taken is a step by God's grace. A step by grace. That title of
my message is God's True Grace. I'll give you a simple illustration. If I had a $100 bill and I pulled
it out, someone saw it and told me, that's fake, that's counterfeit. I wouldn't like it, I wouldn't
like to hear it, but on the other hand I should thank that person
because I may have been arrested for trying to pass counterfeit
money. And on the other hand, if that
person told me, oh, that's genuine. That's genuine. You can go anywhere
and spend that. It would only serve to assure
me that it would be accepted anywhere, anytime that I needed
to use it. I think that that illustrates,
as I said simply, what Peter speaks of here, God's true grace. I found out many, many years
ago that although the religious world uses words, scriptural
words, like grace, salvation, even a few of them will toss
out election every now and then, but not too often you'll hear
that word, but The definition they give to those words are
not the same as scripture. The definition of grace being
dependent upon its ability being found in man to make it work. Does anybody need that kind of
grace? Is that all you think you need?
That's a counterfeit. That's not the true grace of
God. That's not God's grace. Let me just remind you of what
these believers that Peter wrote to were going through at the
time, at the very time he wrote both of his epistles. They were
being persecuted severely by the emperor, Roman Emperor Nero. Nero, historians pretty well
agree, had himself set Rome on fire because he wanted to build
new monuments to his own name, for his own glory. So he started
this fire. But he needed a scapegoat. And
there were these people there called Christians. And they were
pretty well despised anyway, so people were more than willing
to believe a lie concerning them. So Nero blamed them for the burning
of Rome. And man, they were hunted down,
driven from their homes, fleeing, as we say, with just the clothes
on their back. And many of them were caught and tortured, beheaded. Every imaginable way, they were
put to death. They were tied to chariots and
drug through the streets of Rome. They were fed to the lions. Nero
even dipped them in tar and used them as human torches to light
his gardens. That's what they were going through
at the time. Now with that in mind, let's read these first
nine verses with that background when Peter wrote these words.
First Peter chapter one, Peter and an apostle of Jesus Christ
to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia. Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father. Your Heavenly Father is not going
to forget you. You may be scattered, but He
knows where you're at. Through sanctification of the
Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ,
grace unto you and peace be multiplied, has been well and often said. God never divides his grace to
his children, it's always multiplied. He never gives less grace, he
always giveth and giveth and giveth more grace. Verse 3, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Behold, he lives. To an inheritance incorruptible,
they may have lost all their earthly possessions, but no tyrant,
no emperor, no man, no devil could rob them of their inheritance
reserved in heaven. To an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved. Don't you like that? It's always
comforting to travel somewhere and have a reservation awaiting
you when you get there. It is very uncomfortable to arrive
at a place assuming you have a reservation and find out it
wasn't made or it wasn't recorded. Oh, not so with our heavenly
inheritance. It's reserved in heaven for you. Christ spoke of that, didn't
he, in John 14. I go to prepare a place for you. I'm making a
reservation for you. I mean, it's especially for you.
In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so,
I would tell you so. I don't lie to you. And where
I go, ye shall be also. I'll come back for you. You have
a reservation in heaven. And in the meantime, in the meantime,
now remember what these people were going through. Peter says
in verse 5, who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto
salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein ye
greatly rejoice. Though now for a season, if need
be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations." They didn't
rejoice in the persecution, the trials, the temptations, but
they did rejoice in the grace of God while they're passing
through it. Again, our Lord said, in the
world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. You can
do both by God's grace. No trial, no heartache is pleasant. It hurts. We feel it. We feel
it keenly, but that doesn't make void the grace of God. We rejoice
in that. Verse 7, that the trial of your
faith, being much more precious than a gold that perishes, though
it be tried with fire, might be found in the praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. whom having not
seen you love, in whom though now you see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving
the end, that is the outcome, the consummation of your faith,
even the salvation, the everlasting salvation of your soul." I want you to turn to Revelation
chapter 7. Two verses there. I want to compare
to what we just read. I think it's a good comparison.
It's a good commentary on what Peter said there in the verses
that we read. Revelation chapter 9. Peter said
you're, I'm sorry, chapter 7. Revelation chapter 7. Peter again
in verse 5 said you're kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation. Verse 9, receiving the end of
your faith even the salvation of your souls. Now compare those
words to Revelation 7 verses 13 and 14. John had been told, come up hither
and I'll show you things that must be hereafter. That must
be hereafter. Not might be hereafter, but must
be hereafter. And among those must-be things
that John was privileged to see and to write to us, we read here
in verse 13 of Revelation 7. And one of the elders answered
and said unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? John had seen the multitude that
no man can number, and they were all arrayed in white robes, and
they all had the palm leaf of victory, and they are all shouting
salvation to our God. Who are they? And where did they
come from? Whence came they? And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are
they. These are they which came out
of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. I can't tell you, I probably
have made this statement to you before, but I can't tell you
The number of times that passage, that verse has been a blessing
to my soul. Going through a difficult time,
feeling that you're at your wits end, feeling, well, there's nobody
that I can relate to. There's nobody that really understands. Nobody really feels this. Oh,
but I read these words, they all came out. Bless God. What a testimony to the sufficiency
of His grace. What a testimony to His power
that keeps all His children. Though they all endure tribulation,
nobody's exempt. No child of God's exempt. Our
Lord said that unless a man, except a man deny himself. Man, that's tough. That's tough. Man, that just gets too close
to home, doesn't it? Deny myself, I'll deny you. But to deny myself and take up
his cross every day and follow me, Christ said he can't be my
disciple. Can't be. You must deny self. In the world you'll have tribulation
again. Oh, but glory to His name. Would
you look at that multitude of redeemed sinners? They all came
out. They all suffered to one degree
or another. None of them were exempt from
tribulation. They all know what it was to
weep. They all had their nights of weeping. Oh, but joy has come
in this everlasting morning. And look at them. They all came
out. They all came out, and child
of God, you will too. You will too. Every one of those
that Peter wrote to, and I mentioned briefly what these believers
were going through at the time. They're included in that multitude
before the throne. Look at them. Everyone that was
used as a candle in Nero's gardens, there they stand before the Lamb
of God and before the throne. They all came out. Oh, Nero,
though he knew it not, was just used in the hands of our all-wise
Heavenly Father to bring them to the throne of the Lord Jesus
Christ, all of his children. It's true that we endure trials,
but it's just as true that we're delivered out of them. It's true
that we all have our corruptions, and every child of God knows
exactly what Paul was writing about in Romans 7. They can identify
with that. I mean, I know there are some
professing believers, professing only, that claim they've reached
a state of sinless perfection. Sinless perfection. I've been
around those folks. I'm not comfortable around them.
I just don't feel at ease around them. They just look down their
self-righteous nose at me. I had one visit me one time,
a preacher, a Wesleyan preacher, I think, There was a relative
of mine, sent him over. He gone straighten me out. He
come in and the first thing he did, look over in the corner
and said, I wouldn't have one of those. I said, what's the
problem? It's that TV. That's a one-eyed devil. That's the
one that I'll throw it out and take it out in the creek and
throw it in the creek and apologize to the tadpoles for polluting
their home. I said, man, are you kidding
me? I said, what? What are you telling me?" He
said, well, you need a second work of grace. You need, what
did he call it, entire sanctification. I said, what does that mean?
He said, my old nature's been eradicated. I said, is that right? Is that right? And I asked him
a question or two and it proved right away his old nature wasn't
eradicated because he got mad. He got red in the face and I
said, don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. I'm just not comfortable around
that. No, every child of God knows exactly what Paul said
when he cried, oh wretched man that I am. Everything I do, Everything
I think, every minute of every hour, every day, there's not
a second that is not tainted with sin. I can't put my finger
on one spot since God called me by His grace up to this very
moment that's not been tainted with sin. What I'm doing right
now is full of sin and pride. This message. Don't tell me,
well, if it's a blessing to you, I don't mind hearing that. But
I declare, it doesn't take a whole lot to puff me up, just full
of pride. Everyone knows what that's like,
that warfare between the flesh and the spirit. We can't deny
that. Oh, but we cannot deny this either,
can we? Though we've gone through trials
and heartache, though we have that battle within, we know something
about troubles, and we cry out under them, let's cry at the
same time. The captain of our salvation
will bring us out. Let us be just as sincere and
as verbant in giving thanks to our God when he brings us through
a difficulty as we were when we were asking for his assistance.
Like those ten lepers, man they all united with one voice. Jesus
Jesus, have mercy on us. Make us clean. Make us clean. Oh, they all cried. And then
after our Lord did so, only one solitary voice returned to give
thanks. God don't let that be so. May
our praise be just as heartfelt as when he is pleased to answer
our prayers. As old Mr. Newton put it, his
grace has brought me safe thus far. And if it's the true grace
of God, His grace will lead me home. Could Peter have told them
anything more comforting than this? Is anything more comforting
to your own heart than to hear this again? Turn, if you will,
now to chapter 5. One verse, a few words in verse
12 of chapter 5 will be our text. The subject is God's true grace. The grace that Peter speaks of
in verse 12 is not a counterfeit. It's not a counterfeit. By Silvanus,
a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written
briefly exhorting you, exhorting you and testifying that this
is, this is the true grace of God wherein you stand. Oh, how comforting that must
have been to these poor, troubled believers. Peter reminds them
and exhorts them, you're standing in the true grace of God. Not
grace that will allow you to fall, no, but to stand. Not grace that will let you perish
after all, that's a counterfeit. That's the product of that other
gospel based upon man's will and not God's power. but grace
that will preserve you all during your journey here below and then
do this. Do this. My soul, what mighty
grace this must be that will present you without a spot or
a blemish even without a fault before the throne of God. Wow. Wow. Now that's the true grace
of God. What is God's true grace? Well,
is there such a thing as false grace? A counterfeit grace? Absolutely there is. Absolutely
there is. Any teaching or preaching that
in any way makes salvation dependent upon myself, that's not the true
grace of God. It's the product, the necessary
consequence of that other gospel. Often I've heard preachers say,
Billy, you and I were talking about this the other day. A preacher,
a pastor, told Billy, yeah, I believe in election, but I can't preach
it. I can't preach it. I've heard the same thing. Men
say, oh yeah, I believe that. I believe in God's free grace,
God's unmerited favor, but, but, and then shoot it all down. When
I was a boy at home, my father would tell me to do something.
I'd say, Dad, I'll get around to that. I'll do that, but, you
know what my daddy'd say to me? Ain't no buts, boy. You better
do this. There's no buts about it, young
man. And the gospel of God's free
grace allows no buts for man's contribution. No elbow room is
given for man's worth or man's merit. There's nothing in this
great work of God's mighty grace from the first calling out of
darkness and granting us faith to behold his son until the day
we enter glory. There's no place you can put
down your finger and say, yes, I helped him do that. That's my part. No way. And thank God that it's not so. Peter's words here. can be compared
to another faithful preacher, the Apostle Paul. They remind
me so much of Paul's words in Acts chapter 20. Look there for
a moment. Acts chapter 20. Paul is on his way to Jerusalem,
and as he makes his way there, he passes by Ephesus, and he
wants to meet the elders of the churches of Ephesus. And he meets
them at a place called Miletus. And he warns them of things that
will come. He tells them, I'll never see
you again. I'm going to Jerusalem. I don't
know the things that await me there other than persecutions
and bonds and afflictions. He said, I know that's probably
what's waiting for me. But in verse 28 of Acts 20, Paul says to these elders, take
heed, therefore, unto yourselves and to all the flock over which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church
of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know
this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in
among you, sparing not the flock. Also of your own selves shall
men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples
after them. Therefore watch and remember
that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone
night and day with tears." Well, Paul, what are we to do? Can you give us something else?
Look at verse 32. And now brethren, I commend you
to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build
you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified."
What a comfort! Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ,
trusting His unmerited favor and mighty grace are standing
on solid ground. Solid ground! Most people think
that that other gospel that makes salvation depend upon an effort
between man and God stresses man's responsibility. They say
that's the only difference in what You believe in what I believe,
you stress God's sovereignty, and we distress man's responsibility,
that he must exercise his free will. That's the only difference. Both are really true, we just
stress different points. Wrong, wrong, that's not true. One dishonors God. One makes
the death of Christ a failure. One gives false hopes to people
who just go through a religious tradition. I saw on the internet
just the other day, I was looking for something else, clicked it
on and this thing came on and well, it caught my attention.
Who is Jesus Christ? I think was the title. So I clicked.
What's that about? It took me to this website and
it said four simple steps to be saved. Four steps and it was
very brief. They take you down the Romans
road. They drag you down the Romans
road. They always take a detour at Romans 9 where it says it's
not of him that willeth. They bypass that but they say
well everybody's sin so you're a sinner. If you had a bad thought
you're a sinner. Is that conviction of sin? And
God loves everybody and has a wonderful plan for your life. And Jesus
died for everybody's sins. And if you will accept Jesus,
sign right here. Just email it back to us. Just
check here, yes, and mail it back to us. My, so how dishonoring
to the triune God to reduce His glorious, great salvation to
no more than that. There's nothing marvelous about
that. There's nothing Wonderful about
that. Oh, but the gospel of God's grace
declares salvation is of the Lord. The gospel of God's free
grace declares not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but into thy name
give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Or as Paul
said in Romans 11, and if by grace it is no more of works,
otherwise grace is no more grace. And if it be of works, then it
is no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. It's got to be one or the other.
It cannot be both. I was driving several times. I passed the church not far from
here this past week, and their sign said, when you are willing,
God is able. When you are willing, God is
able. Now, who's the most important
person in that message? You are. You are. It all depends
on you. God's hands are tied until you
allow him to save you. Until you're willing, God can't
do anything for you. That sounds like a mighty little
God to me, doesn't it you? I was more interested in the
sign across from that church. It said a double cheeseburger
and french fries and a coke for $3.99 at Jack's. That was more
edifying. At least they weren't telling
lies on God. There's no place where free grace
and free will can join hands and say, there, we agree on that
point. There's not one. There's not
one. Whether you're considering election
redemption, calling, man's spiritual condition, or final glory, free
will makes every one of those things dependent upon man's will. Every one of them. Election is
based upon foreseen faith. And the Word of God says, oh,
not so, not so. Someone said, well, free will
is like a wide bridge, but it only goes halfway across the
river. I'll tell you what, it doesn't even do that. It doesn't
even get you off the shore. But the true grace of God, God's
word calls the salvation. He performs a new creation. That sounds a little more than
you take the first stab, doesn't it? It refers to it as a resurrection. It refers to God calling us out
of darkness into the marvelous light and translating us into
the kingdom of His own dear Son. That doesn't sound small to me.
That doesn't seem minute to me. God's salvation is a great salvation. Every miracle in the Word of
God that pictures His salvation, the salvation that it depicts,
that it represents is greater than the miracle itself. And
our Lord said that very thing, didn't he? The hucksters today
say that the miracle is the greatest thing. God wants everybody healthy
and everybody wealthy. And it's not surprising that
people will pay them big bucks to tell them that lie. But the
Lord Jesus Christ said, that's not true. The greater miracle
is this. Which is greater, he said, before
he healed that lame man? Which is greater, to say your
sins are forgiven you or to say you'll arise and take up your
bed and walk? Which is greater? And the salvation
of a soul requires a miracle of God's mighty grace. The healing
of my sin sick soul, giving me faith to see Jesus, my soul,
what a wonder. What a wonder, what a marvel,
what a miracle of God's omnipotent mercy, grace, and power is the
salvation of a poor blind beggar like me. Like blind Bartimaeus. He sat by the wayside begging.
Our Lord's leaving Jericho. And Bartimaeus, he was born blind
and he was a beggar. There he sits in his rags. And
he hears the commotion, the shuffling of feet, the crowd, the chatter.
What's going on? Jesus of Nazareth is passing
by. Jesus is passing by. And Bartimaeus had heard of him,
had heard what he'd done. Evidently he did because he said,
Jesus thou son of David, have mercy on me. Have mercy on me. Oh my soul. And we read When Jesus heard
the cry of that one blind beggar, he stood still. Oh, what a marvel. What a wonder. But I'll tell you a greater marvel,
a greater wonder. I was sitting, clothed in the
rags of my sin, and Jesus Christ passed by me. And I cried out,
Lord, have mercy on me. Have mercy on me. And he stood
still. He stood still and opened my
blinded eye so that I could see him and said these words like
he did to Barnabas. Go thy way, thy faith hath made
thee whole. Now that's a real miracle. That's
true grace. That's a marvel. He opened my
blinded eyes to behold the Lamb of God. That's a lot different. than
going to an altar and repeating the sinner's prayer. That's going
on all around us. And I've seen people get more
excited about ordering a pizza than that supposed salvation. No, as the hymn writer put it,
"'Twas grace my wayward heart first won. "'Tis grace that holds
me fast. "'Grace will complete the work
begun "'and save me to the last. then shall my soul with rapture
trace what God has done for me and celebrate redeeming grace
throughout eternity." Here's a second question. What God's
grace is, but now where is God's grace found? Where is God's grace
found? Well, I know it's not found in
a church. I know it's not dispensed from the hands of a preacher
or a priest, but the grace of God is exactly that. Brother
Scott Richardson said he would put it this way, God put all
of his eggs in one basket. Where is the grace of God? Second
Timothy 1 and 9. God who has saved us and called
us with the holy calling, not according to our works but according
to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. The second chapter of Second
Timothy. Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is
in Christ Jesus." You cannot have grace. You cannot receive
grace. You cannot experience the grace
of God that brings salvation apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where God has deposited
all of His grace. All of His grace. You can't bypass
Christ and have it. Where else would God keep all
His grace? Who else could contain all the
grace of God but the Lord Jesus Christ? And John said, we can
prove it. We saw Him. We saw Him. And what stood out the most about
Him, John? What captivated you more than
anything else about Him, John? He's full of grace and full of
truth. So what an amount of grace. was needed to save this sinner,
to keep me. What great grace is required
to bring me all the way to heaven? I can't calculate it. I don't
have a computer that can add that up. It's beyond me. But
look again, look again. That grace that is in Christ
Jesus is sufficient enough to bring a multitude that can't
be numbered, every one of them redeemed, every one of them without
spot, every one of them before the throne of God. My, so what
mighty, reigning, conquering grace is that. God's true grace
that is in Christ Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all
that come unto God by Him. Oh, I wish I believed that. I
wish I believed that more. That His grace is greater than
all my sin. That His grace is able to keep
me from falling and to present me faultless. Did I read that
right? Is that what the Word of God
says? And to present me faultless before the throne of God Himself. That's the grace I need, don't
you? What God's grace is, where God's
grace is, and last of all, one more question. So what? So what? Well, this rests right
here. That's what Peter told them,
exhorted them, reminded them. This is the true grace of God
wherein you stand. Therefore, stay put. Stay put. Listen to the words
of him who sets upon his throne of grace, the very embodiment
of grace, child of God, he's speaking to you. But now thus
saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee,
O Israel, fear not. I have redeemed thee. I have
called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. When you pass
through the waters, I'll be with you. And through the rivers,
they shall not overflow you. And when you walk through the
fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon you." My, what sweet words. And again, listen to him. Harken
unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house
of Israel, God's true Israel, which are born by me from the
belly, which are carried from the womb. And even to your old
age I am he, and even to whorehairs will I carry you. I have made,
and I will carry, even I will carry, and will deliver you."
Occasionally my son Roger, whom all of you I think have met,
he'll send me a message, say, Dad, I'm praying that God will
be pleased to add to your church, that he'll be pleased to bring
people in. And I say, Roger, I appreciate
that. I appreciate that. And I pray the same thing. I
want that too. I want that too. But, but, if
God is pleased to use this earthen vessel through the preaching
of His gospel to help you, to prepare you to cross over to
the other side, what a glorious honor that is for me. Henry Mahan,
I believe it was Henry, told the story about visiting one
of his members in the hospital who wasn't doing well physically. And Henry said, brother, is it
well with your soul? And the man looked at Henry and
said, if you've told me the truth, it is. If you've told me the
truth, it is. Even to your old age, I am he. I will deliver you. I will carry
you. When the storms of life are raging,
the old hymn says, stand by me. This hymn was written by a man
whose father was a slave. When the storms of life are raging,
stand by me. When the world is tossing me
like a ship upon the sea, thou who rulest wind and water, stand
by me. Oh, to hear his sweet voice among
the thunder, it is I be not afraid.