Back here in 1 Peter chapter
5, our text shall be verse 10, where Peter directs their attention,
even though they were suffering, being persecuted as we mentioned
in the reading, Peter directs their attention
back to their only source of real hope, comfort, their only
stability, they had in this uncertain world and that was their God
who changes not. The God of all grace, all grace. It occurred to me yesterday as
I was finishing studying the message and going over my notes
that this would be the last message to you in 2015 that I would preach. I hadn't really thought of that
before. And the next time, the Lord willing, The next time I
preach to you will be in a new year, 2016. My soul. In a few weeks, another year
would have been gone. How fast they go by, don't they? So swiftly. I'm realizing now
what I did. What just I couldn't as a younger
man but realizing now the truth of how the scriptures describe
our life. James said, what is your life?
What is your life? It's a vapor. It's a vapor. Is it there? Did I really see
it? It's a vapor that appeared just for a little while and then
it vanishes away. That's true. That's true. But this is also true. As Peter
said. As old Newton said. This grace
hath brought me safe thus far. There's no other explanation,
John. You made reference to it, of
it this morning. John 6. Will you also go away? Our Lord asked his disciples.
And if we don't, if we haven't, there's only one reason. His
grace has brought us safe thus far, and His grace, that same
grace, the God of all grace, His grace shall lead us home. Almost 250 years ago, on New
Year's Eve 1767, Augustus Toplady made an entry
in his diary. which said this, upon review,
he wrote, upon review of the past year, I wish to confess
that my unfruitfulness has been exceeding great. Larry Criss
could write the same thing about himself. My unfruitfulness, looking
over this past year, has been exceeding great. He went on to
write, and my sins have been still greater. I could write
that too. That's just a fact. That's just
true. I could write that too. My sins have been still greater.
And God's mercies. God's mercies greater than both. I could write that too. God's
mercies have been greater. God's grace has reigned over
my sins. It has abounded. The fountain
of living water has never run dry and it never will because
he's the God of all grace. Peter's words here very much
resemble the words of the Apostle Paul when he spoke to some elders
too as Peter was here in Acts chapter 20. And they both speak
to God's people. And God's people, no matter when
they live, no matter where they live, God's people, in one way
or another, to one degree or another, are all a tried people. They're all attempted people.
They're all a people living in the world which is not their
home. This world is not our home. Our
Lord said, you're not of the world. You're in the world, yes,
but you're not of the world. I've chosen you out of the world.
Those Peter wrote to, as we said, were suffering greatly under
the persecution of Nero. Look what he says in verse 12
of chapter 4. Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some
strange thing happened unto you. And our Lord said the same thing
to Peter and his disciples that night before he was arrested,
didn't he? He said, in the world you'll have tribulation. Expect
it. I'm telling you now before it
comes to pass that when it does come to pass, you'll remember.
You'll know that I forewarned you. I told you that these things
must be. Look, if you will, for a moment
in Acts chapter 20. This is Paul's farewell address. to the elders of the churches
of Ephesus. And he speaks much along the
same line as Peter did. In Acts chapter 20, Paul will
tell them that they'll never see his face again. He said,
I'm going to Jerusalem And more than likely I'll be bound there
because the Holy Spirit has told me chains and afflictions abide
me, wait for me. But he said, none of these things
move me because I have the worthy cause, as he would write to Timothy
after being arrested. I'm not ashamed, Timothy. It's
been a worthy cause. It's worth it that I might, what,
testify of the gospel of the grace of God. The gospel is a
message of God's grace, unmerited favor to needy sinners. But here in verse 28 of chapter
20, Paul says, 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." My, what a cost. Again, Peter would write,
you've been redeemed, not with silver and gold. Oh, no. No, that will not atone for a
man's sins, but you've been redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus
Christ. Paul said, purchased with the
blood of God, the God-man. No wonder the hymn writer said,
oh, precious is the flow. Precious, because nothing else
is like the blood of Christ. Nothing but the blood of Christ
can purge our sins away. Nothing but the blood of Christ
takes away all the iniquities of all of his people. Nothing
but the blood of Christ atones for the sins of his people. Verse
29, For I know this, Paul said, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own self shall men
arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after
them. And I'm speaking this morning
to people who are no different than those Peter wrote to and
those Paul spoke to. Look what he says here in chapter
5 of 1 Peter verse 9. The same afflictions that you're
enduring are accomplished in your brethren that are in the
world. In the world you shall have tribulation. We as believers have the same
race to run. We have the same adversary that
Peter warns us of, the devil. We have the same conflicts within
and without. I've not arrived at that place
that many professing Christians profess to have grown to. Not to be bothered by temptation. Not to have that struggle that
Paul wrote about in Romans 7. No, that's the common lot experience
of every true child of God. I see another memory. Another law rather in my members,
warring against the law of the spirit, which made Paul cry out,
O wretched man that I am. One commentator I remember reading
years ago said Paul very likely was alluding to a practice in
that day, if someone murdered another, the corpse of that victim
would be strapped to their back. I don't know that so or not,
but they said that's what Paul was referring to when he said,
oh wretched man that I am. It's like that dead corpse. I
can't get rid of it. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? But he didn't stop there, did
he? He answered the question. I thank God through Jesus Christ
the Lord. Do you sometimes feel? I do. Do you sometimes feel that, as
the hymn writer put it, if ever it should come to pass that souls
of Christ should fall away, that my feeble, fickle soul at last
would fall a thousand times a day? Do you ever feel that way? I do. I do. Except for God's
grace. Paul exhorted the elders, as
Peter did here, to feed the Church of God. And they both do so by
reminding them of their great God and Savior. The best thing I can do for you
is exactly what Peter did and Paul did for those they spoke
and wrote to. Point them back to the God of
all grace. All the time. All the time. Oh,
especially these Peter wrote to, they had experienced change. They had been driven from their
homes. They had lost every earthly possession, even their lives,
many of them, thousands of them. But he says, there's something,
someone that can't change. Change and decay all around I
see. Oh, but thou who changes not,
God who cannot change, God immutable, abides with me. Again, you need
not to turn back there, but as I said, Paul directed their attention
back to their God, as Peter does. And Paul said, there'll be wolves
enter in and try to scatter the flock. He said, there'll be some
arise from your own ranks and do the same thing. But Paul leaves
them with a note of hope. He says, now brethren, I commend
you to God. My hope for you is not your own
strength, but God. 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." All those
who have been set apart in God's amazing grace. And Peter, in
verse 10, does the same thing. But the God of all grace, all
grace. There's four things, and I'll
be brief, won't be long with any of them. I want to consider
from this verse of Scripture. First, the same God. the same
God. Oh, what a note, what a note
of triumph this is. What a source of solid encouragement
this is. But the God of all grace. Not a God, but the God. That makes a difference. That
makes a difference. that he is the God. Let me read
you a few verses from Isaiah where God describes himself and
then we'll see again how that our God, but our God makes a
difference, makes all the difference. I'm reading now from Isaiah chapter
40 verse 28. God himself is speaking and he
says, has thou not known, has thou not heard that the everlasting
God Now try that on. Feeling spiritual? Feeling you
are able to fly on the wings of faith up to the mountaintop?
Well, try this on. God everlasting? Think about
this. God had no beginning and he'll
have no end. From everlasting to everlasting,
thou art God. Ooh, that'll bring you down real
quick, won't it? God over all. Has thou not heard
that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends
of the earth, fainteth not? Neither is weary. There is no
searching of his understanding, oh, the depths, both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments
and his ways past finding out, Paul said. And Paul in contemplating
that, bows down in wonder and true worship and says of Him
and through Him and back to Him are all things. Oh, the God of
all grace. There's none like Him. I'm reading
now from Isaiah chapter 41 verse 10. Fear thou not, again our
God speaking, fear thou not for I am with thee. I am. the God
of all grace. Be not dismayed for I am thy
God. I'm your God. Remember what our
Lord said to his disciples, or rather to Mary, go tell my disciples
that I send back unto my Father and their Father and my God and
their God. He has reconciled us back to
God. For I am thy God, I will strengthen
you, yea, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand
of my righteousness. Still in Isaiah chapter 43. But
now, now saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he
that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. Is that worth something? I have
redeemed thee? Well, no, not if He redeemed
us in the same way that He redeemed Judas or Esau. No, it's not worth
anything. But if he has redeemed us with
his own precious blood, if he's done for us, his people, what
he didn't do for everyone. As they sing in Revelation 14,
you have redeemed us from the earth. You redeemed us not with
all men. My, so how any sane person can
find any comfort in a redemption that doesn't deliver my soul
from the pit of depravity and present me without fault before
the throne of God, anything less than that is not worthy of our
great God and Savior. How anyone can find any comfort
in a redemption that for some for whom it was made may lift
up their eyes in hell anyway, You can have that. They can have
that redemption. Oh, give me a redemption that
actually redeems. Give me an atonement that actually
works. Give me the blood of Jesus Christ
that redeems his people from all their sins. Fear not. I've redeemed you. I've redeemed
you. I've bought you. I've purchased
you. You're mine. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. mine. When you pass through the waters,
not if you pass through the waters, you'll pass through the waters.
Oh, when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, thou shall not be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee, because I am thy God. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides
me there is no Savior. I have declared and have saved
and I have showed. When there was no strange God
among you, wherefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that
I am God. Yea, before the day was, I am
he. There is none that can deliver
out of my hand. I will work, and who shall let
it? I shall work, and who shall hinder
it? Who shall stop it? That's our
great God and Savior. One more time here in Isaiah
chapter 46. Again our God speaking. And he says, remember the former
things, verse 9. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God. I am God. The God of all grace. And there is none else. I am
God and there is none beside me declaring the end from the
beginning. and from the ancient times, the
things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure. When I hear someone, be he preacher
or priest or pope or reverend, but I hear anyone who speaks
of God trying, I know that man doesn't know the true God. He's
not talking, Andre, about the God of Scripture. You never find
that kind of talk. Now, you hear it in religious
circles. But you never hear or rather read that in the Word
of God. You never one time find any hint
that God tries. In the beginning, God tried to
create. No, in the beginning, God created. In the beginning, God said, let
there be light and light was, is the literal translation. Because
God says, I will do all my counsel, it shall stand, and I will do
all my pleasures, saith the Lord. Does that matter? Again, I ask
you, But God, does that matter? Does that make a difference?
Oh, it makes all the difference. I shall do all my pleasure. And
what did our Lord say? One of those things that give
God pleasure? Fear not, little flock. It is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom. Are you back in 1 Peter? Look
at chapter 1. This too is a certainty. because
He is the great God and Savior, who does all His pleasure, whose
hand none can stay or resist His will. That's a God worth
trusting. Here in 1 Peter chapter 1 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.
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved, reserved. Christ himself has made the reservation. I go to prepare a place for you,
reserved in heaven for you, who are kept who are kept preserved,
preserved, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time. But God, yes, that makes
all the difference, John. Our God, as David said to his
mockers, our God is in the heavens. You ask me where my God is, you
should rather ask me where he isn't. My God's everywhere, ruling
all the time among the inhabitants of the earth and in heaven. None
can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Yes, our
God makes a difference. Ask Saul of Tarsus. One day we
see Saul with authority from the chief priest. riding high
on his horse, proud. Oh, what a proud rebel. What
a Pharisee a Pharisee. What a robe of self-righteousness. And Paul marches on the Damascus
road to arrest God's people. But God. But God. Whose will prevails? The rebel
Saul or the God of all grace? But God. Did it make a difference
to you Saul of Tarsus? Oh yes. Look what it says here. I'm reading from Galatians chapter
1. Paul says, but you heard of my conversation, the way I lived,
the way I used to live. in the time past in the Jews'
religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God
and I wasted it. I wasted, I dare say, if you
would have asked the high priest that day, the most unlikely candidate
to be converted to the religion of Jesus Christ and he would
have pointed to Saul of Tarsus. Oh, Saul's my right hand. Well,
even now he came to me this day and wanted authority to go to
Damascus to arrest God's people. He's chased them from Jerusalem,
but he's not set aside. Oh yeah, Saul of Tarsus, he's
my right hand man. Oh, but Saul of Tarsus met the
God of all grace. But God, but God, did that matter? Did that make a difference? Oh
brothers and sisters in Christ, moms, dads, you with children
like myself that know not our God, oh bring them before the
God of all grace and He can do for them what he did for that
proud rebel Saul of Tarsus when he says come down that rebel
son is going to come down or that prodigal daughter is going
to come down and bow before the king of glory there is no question
about that but God for you have heard of my conversation Paul
says what I used to be I persecuted the church of God I wasted it
and I profited in the Jews' religion, above my equals in my own nation,
being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers."
Oh, religious tradition. You want to stir up a hornet's
nest? Speak against religious tradition. What happened to you, Saul of
Tarsus? You now preach the gospel that you once labored to destroy. What happened to you? Paul said,
this is what happened. Here's the explanation. But when
it pleased God, that's when a sinner is saved, when it pleases God. When it pleases God who said,
I shall do all my pleasure. But when it pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, what
happened, Paul? I bowed down. I bowed down. I bow down before the Lord of
glory and he revealed his son in me that I might preach him
among the heathen. That's the God of all grace. And that's what happened to you
and I. Is it not children of God? Is that not our biography
as well? Why are we saved? Why do we serve
the true and living God? Because God. But God. Paul tells us what we were by
nature. wherein in times past you walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience, you are right there amongst them,
you are no different than they are, not at all. Among whom also
we had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh, he was all about me. and
of the mind and we're by nature the children of wrath even as
others and we would still be so today. We would be so today
had God spared us up to this day. And we were going to live
our lives in rebellion until we lifted up our eyes in hell
except for this, but God, ooh what words, what blessed intervention,
but God who was rich in mercy for his great love with he loved
us even when we were dead in sins. He didn't say Lazarus if
you'll take the first step, he said Lazarus come forth. The Son of Man had power to give
eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him. And we
who were dead were quickened together with Christ. By grace
ye are saved but God." Oh God, remember what Elisha prayed when
his servant awoke one morning and found he and Elisha surrounded
by the armies of Syria. And it was just the two of them.
They were surrounded and they came there to arrest Elisha. We read about this in 2 Kings
chapter 6. And when the servant of the man
of God was risen early and gone forth, behold, a host came past
the city, both with horses and chariots. And his servant said
unto him, that is to Elisha, Alas, my master, how shall we
do? Master, I'm sorry to have to
tell you this, first thing in the morning, we're surrounded. We're surrounded. What shall
we do? And Elisha, this must have been strange words to this
young servant. Elisha answered and said, fear
not, fear not, for they that be with us are more than they
that be with them. If God, If God, God of all and
blessed forever, the God of all grace, the God who has his way,
our God who is in the heavens, if God be for us, who can be
against us? Greater are they that be with
us than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord,
I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. Oh, now there's a
different picture altogether. And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man and he saw and behold the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And that's exactly what Paul
wrote, didn't he? Looking not at the things which
are seen but it's the things which are not seen. For the things
which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not
seen, they are eternal. Oh God, open our eyes that we
may see. I am the Lord, I change not,
therefore. There's a blessed consequence
to that. I am the Lord, I change not,
therefore. Ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Yes, that makes the difference.
That's why Peter's faith failed not. That's why Saul of Tarsus
didn't die a self-righteous Pharisee. That's why the thief on the cross
didn't continue to blaspheme right up to his last breath.
Because God. But God. The thief said, because
made to do so by the God of all grace, Lord remember me. Remember
me. Now that man did just like the
other thief. They both ridiculed our Redeemer. They both were told cast the
same in his teeth, malting. But in a space of a few hours,
one of them had a complete change, a complete about-face. What happened? The God of all grace. The God
of all grace. And he looked at the Lord Jesus
Christ, bloody, beaten, crown of thorns, and he saw through
all of that his Redeemer. His Redeemer. Oh, blessed art
thou, Simon Barjona. Flesh and blood has revealed
unto you who I am. My Father's done something for
you. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. And that's
the same reason Saul of Tarsus can say, I am what I am by the
grace of God. And if you're a believer, you
know why you are. God help us never to forget it.
The reason you're a believer, the only reason you're a believer
is because the God of all grace made you one. But God, the same
God and the same grace. But the God of all grace who
had called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. God's grace is like God himself. It changes not. Grace is not
God's offer to do something. Again, that's the talk of modern
day religion. God's grace is not Him offering
to do something, but Him doing something. Grace is not an offer,
but an operation. Our election was an election
of grace, Paul wrote in Romans 11. according to the election
of grace. God chose you. Think about that. God chose you, Paul said, from
the beginning, before the foundation of the world, before God created
the heavens and the earth, before God ever said, let there be light,
before he set the stars in their course, before he created anything,
God loved you with an everlasting love and chose you to salvation. Isn't that something? And He
called you in time affectionately by His grace. And He's kept us
to this very hour. And grace, by that same grace,
we will be glorified, as our text says. Because God's grace
is reigning grace. It's never in vain. God's grace
is never in vain. It's always sufficient. Abel,
as the article I wrote for our bulletin today, by God's power
and grace, he will present us without fault before the throne
of God. It was grace that wrote my name. We read in Revelation about the
Lamb's Book of Life. All those whose names were not
found written in the Lamb's Book of Life were cast into the lake
of fire. Everyone whose name was not written
there heard those terrible words. Depart from me. Cast them into
outer darkness. I never knew you. My soul in the Lamb's Book of
Life, if you were able to do it, of course First, there is
the Lamb's name. It's His book. There aren't my
first elect, God said, and then chose us in Christ our head.
But you'd open to the Lamb's book of life, and there's the name of Larry
Criss. That's amazing. That's just amazing. It was grace that wrote my name. in life's eternal book. It was
grace that gave me to the Lamb who all my sorrows took. Grace
taught my soul to pray and made my eyes overflow. It was grace
that's kept me to this day and will not let me go. Oh, brothers
and sisters in Christ, if we have salvation, if we want salvation,
we must have only that grace that brings salvation. Nothing
else will. And this grace, as Paul wrote
to Titus, is only to be found in Christ Jesus. Every sinner
who's ever looked to Christ has found salvation. There's never
been one who hasn't. The Lord himself said, look unto
me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and
there is None else. Old Simeon said, I've seen thy
salvation. The thief on the cross, Simeon
was looking at an infant. The thief on the cross was looking
at the dying Savior. But they both were looking at
the same thing. And they both were saved by beholding
the Lamb of God. Again, looking at our text, the
same outcome. The same God, the same grace,
the same outcome. But the God of all grace will
have called us unto his eternal glory. Unto his eternal glory. God's salvation is an everlasting
salvation. This is the will of him that
sent me that of all those whom thou hast given me, I should
lose none. I love that picture we have in
Revelation 7. of that multitude before the
throne, John said, he saw that no man can number. All clothed
with white robes and waving the palm leaf of victory, and all
crying salvation to our God that setteth upon the throne and unto
the land. And the elder asked John, who
are these, John? Where do they come from? And
John said, Thou knowest. I love these words. The elder
said, these are they which came out of great tribulation. They all came out, John. They're
no different than you, John, who was being persecuted at that
very time, cast out on the Isle of Patmos for the testimony of
Jesus Christ. And the elder says to John, these
were all like you. They were persecuted. They went
through tribulation. Oh, but John, they all came out. They all came out. And every
child of God They all shall come out because God leads his dear
children along. Like that dear sister who told
her pastor, I think I told you this story, that said when they
buried her before they closed the coffin, put her fork in the
casket. He said, my soul, why? She said,
when I was a little girl at home, And after we'd have supper and
be clearing the table, mom would say, keep your fork, keep your
fork. We knew something better was
coming. We were going to have dessert that day. Child of God, keep your fork. Something better is coming. Something
better is coming to those who have been called unto the eternal
glory by Jesus Christ. And last of all, the same way. The same way we are brought to
glory by Christ Jesus. I am the way. No man comes to
the Father but by me. By Christ Jesus, that is through
Him, because of Him, by His merits. Oh, I can believe that, John.
When I look at myself, and think that one day I shall stand in
the presence of my God and King, I think that's just not possible.
That's not possible. That can't be. That'll never
happen, looking to myself. Oh, but when I look at Christ,
when I'm able to get some idea, just some, of His worth, His
sufficiency, His value, His merits, then I can believe it. I can
believe that I'll be there for Christ's sake. I have a hope
of going to heaven if Christ brings me there. It pleased the
Father in bringing many sons to glory. Oh, by the Son, the
Captain of my salvation, I have all things necessary to enter
into that city that has no need of the light, for the Lamb is
the light thereof. I have all the completeness required
because I'm complete in Him. John said, I saw the Lamb standing
on the mountain Zion and with Him, with Him. Oh yes, Father, I will that all
those you gave me be with me. I can't think of a better description
of heaven than that, can you? Being with Christ where He is
and beholding His glory. who has suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Let me just read it and be done.
May God bring this to our hearts in every hour of trial and difficulty,
perhaps at this present moment of suffering. But the God of
all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish,
strengthen, settle you to him be glory and dominion forever
and forever. Amen. Amen.