Turn back with me now to 1 Peter
2. A little over 2,000 years ago,
a baby was born over there in the
Middle East in a town called Bethlehem in the province of
Judah. And everything concerning his
birth had been foretold for thousands and thousands and thousands of
years. He would be of the lineage of
David. He'd be of the tribe of Judah. He would be born in poverty
to a poor Jewish family. He'd be shielded from Herod by
moving. at this young age to Egypt being
warned of God and would finish up his youth in Nazareth. He'd
be born of a virgin. There would be a great prophet
sent before him, John the Baptist, to prepare his way. He'd bear witness of him as well
as foretell of his coming. And this man, Jesus, would go
on to preach and teach and perform undeniable miracles, and then
to be hated without a cause, charged for crimes that he did
not commit, and be crucified as a common criminal between
two malfactors. And after three days in the earth,
this man Jesus would sit up, sit up, just like you sit up
in the morning in your bed. And he would take off those linen
grave clothes that he was wrapped in and neatly fold them and lay
them on the stone where he once laid. And he'd walk out of that
tomb. And then he would continue on
this earth for better than a month, having rose from the dead. And
he would appear to all those who knew him and above 500 brethren
at one time. I don't know if we could get
500 people in this church and in this parking lot. That's a
lot of people. And every last one of them knew
who he was and saw him after his resurrection. His resurrection
is not a superstitious rumor. It's a matter of historical fact. Jesus Christ raised from the
dead. Time itself is divided by the
appearance of Christ on this earth. And when He had established His
resurrection, He stepped onto a cloud. and ascended up into
heaven with the angels of God, where he become the first begotten
from the dead, and where he sat down, having rightfully received
the kingdom of God, and then, as he promised, he sent back
to us the Holy Ghost. He was sent down to abide with
his people and to reveal the mysteries of His person and work,
and the glory of His person and work, and to call dead sinners
to life everlasting. And upon them who would tell
of His coming, these witnesses, chosen witnesses, who would tell
of that power in the gospel ministry, He confirmed them with signs
and wonders and diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost.
Jesus Christ is not some clever myth that men made up to get
others to be better than what they were. Jesus Christ is the
prophesied Redeemer and Savior of God's Israel. I'm not talking
about that little country over there in the Middle East. I'm
talking about God's Israel. I'm talking about the elect of
God. In Galatians 3, verse 26, he said, For ye are all the children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. And there is neither
Jew nor Greek. There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor female.
For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ,
if you be, if you be Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and
heirs according to the promise. That's God's Israel. All those
who believe on Him. God has a people, a people chosen
out of every tribe, kindred, people, and tongue under heaven.
The Christ is He which is given to them. Not to the world, given
to them, and given to them by promise. Given to them to rule
over them for their good and God's glory. Given to them as
a covenant surety to Abraham and his seed where the promise
is made. He saith not to seeds as of many,
but unto thy seed, which is Christ. He is the covenant head and surety
of his people. He was given to them by promise
to deliver them from their enemies. What enemies? I didn't know I
had enemies. You got more enemies than you
can shake a stick at. Sin, the law, false religion,
a depraved nature, a deceived heart. He was given to them to
enlighten them. To enlighten them. We know. We know that the Son of God has
come and given us an understanding. When He's come, He'll tell us.
That's what the woman at the well said. When He's come, this
promised one, He'll tell us all things. And He was given to them as a
high priest, ordained for men and things pertaining to God,
that He might offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. He was ordained for them who
can have compassion on the ignorant and on them who are out of the
way. And He was given to them as a
substitute, one to die and suffer the wrath of God in their room
instead. He was given to them as a holy
representative to provide them with an acceptable righteousness.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God ordained before the world was. And He was ordained as the Savior
and Redeemer of His elect. The glory surrounding this man,
Jesus Christ, is almost unspeakable. And yet we speak His name with
such common understanding. Even the seraphims in glory were
told in the Scripture, cover their eyes and cover their bodies
in His presence. The whole earth, the scripture
said, is full of His glory. You can't walk on the ground.
You can't breathe the air. You can't see the trees. You can't do anything apart from
seeing His glory. He made this place. And when I think of His eternal
Godhead and His covenant engagements and His creating power and His
faithfulness, His unspeakable faithfulness, His love for lost
sinners, I can barely take it in. I get lost in the wonder of it. I don't have words to describe
it. Brother Mahan said one time,
it's like standing before that great North Atlantic Ocean. And
somebody hands you a canoe and says, here, cross it. Or standing
at the foot of those great mountains over there, Mount Everest, standing
there at its foot. And somebody hands you a pair
of tennis shoes and tells you to climb it. Or somebody hands you a book
and says, here's a book on how to split atoms. Go split one. We don't have the words, we don't
have the means, I don't have the ability to even begin to
describe His glory. Jesus Christ is not a fire escape,
He's not an insurance policy, and He's not a get-out-of-jail-free
card. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This is God come into the flesh,
the Son of God ordained before the world was as the Savior and
Redeemer of His elect. And the glory of this man, Jesus
Christ, is almost unspeakable. All power in heaven and earth
is in His hands. Your soul is in His hands. in His hands. And He can leave it in darkness,
or He can give to it eternal peace and rest. Providence is
in His hands. He doeth according to His will
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth,
and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?
He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, and
even the winds and the waves obey His voice. Can you not hear
those disciples on the troubled sea? Oh, how troubled they were! And
He simply arose and said, Peace be still, and the waves lay down. He said this concerning His disciples. He said, I give unto them eternal
life, and no man can pluck them, where were they? Out of His hand.
Your soul is in His hand to do with what He will. Oh, when I
hear men talk about this little mealy-mouthed, feminist, can't-do-what-He-wants-to
Jesus, it makes me want to go throw up! That's not the Christ
of Scripture. It's not the Christ of God. Have you not known? Listen to
the prophet. Have you not known? This is not
a new concept. They thought the same thing back
in the days of Isaiah. And the Spirit enlightened him
and he said, under the inspiration of God, have you not known? Have
you not heard? Has it not been told you from
the beginning? Have you not understood from
the foundations of the world, it's he that sitteth upon the
circle of the earth and all the inhabitants thereof are grasshoppers. It's he that stretches out the
heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.
Jesus Christ is not pacing back and forth, leaning over the banisters
of heaven and wringing His hands, hoping that somebody is going
to let Him save Him so His death is not in vain. Jesus Christ sits upon the throne
of glory, having fully satisfied the law and justice of God, fully
establishing the righteousness of God, and fully accomplishing
the redemption of His elect. And they're not the least possibility
that even one of his elect should ever perish, let alone the thousands
that lion preachers are charging him with. The Lord is not slack
concerning his promises, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering
to usward, not willing that one should perish, but that all should
come to repentance. That's II Peter 3.9. Jesus Christ
is the Lord over the dead and the living. And if you're ever
brought to see it, you'll quit thinking about what you're going
to do for Him, what you might do for Him, what you ought to
do for Him, and you're going to start thinking about what
your Lord is going to do with you. He's Lord. Unto you. Can you see what Peter
is saying, huh? here in this passage, unto you
therefore which believe He is precious. Why? Why is He precious? Why is He
precious to those who believe? Because He's just one. He's just one. They're just one
mediator. between God and me and the man
Christ Jesus. They are just one reconciler.
God was in Christ reconciling. They are just one Savior. Look
unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth. Only one
name given among men whereby we must be saved, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Only one way to the Father. No
man cometh unto the Father but by me. Only one sacrifice for
sins forever. Only one Redeemer. We're not
redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of
Christ as of a lamb without spot or blemish, who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world. We're not redeemed with those
things, but with the precious blood of Christ. And there's just one Lord. In
His day, He's going to show who is the blessed and only potentate
King of kings and Lord of lords. One omnipotent Lord of heaven
and earth. Unto you therefore which believe.
He is precious. He's precious. Oh, when I think
of what man is, and where man is, and what man is, And then
I think about this one in whom God has vested the very glory
of His name, all glory in Him. And I think of myself, a pitiful
lost sinner, in my ignorance and in my darkness and in my
rebellion, going my way, doing my thing. And this Lord of glory
who chose me before the foundation of the world, sent His Spirit,
arranged His providence, sent His minister, and told me the
truth, and then gave me the ability to believe it. What's Jesus Christ worth to
you? That's the title of my message.
What's He worth to you? Is He just a name? Is it just
a superstitious myth being spread abroad in this earth? What's
Jesus Christ? What does He mean to you? What's
He worth to you? I'll tell you what He's worth
to them that believe. He's precious. I can do without
my house. I don't want to. But I can do
without it. I can rig up some kind of a tent,
build a fire and get along. I can do without my house. I
can't do without him. I can do without my wife. I don't want to. I love her,
and I appreciate her, and I appreciate what she does for me. I don't
want to, but I can. But I can't do without him. I
can't do without him. You see what I'm saying? I believe what she means to you. Huh? Unto you therefore which believe
he is precious. What would it be worth to you
today to know that all your sins are taken away? Huh? What would that be worth? Scattered
as far as the east is from the west, buried in the depths of
the sea, stricken from even the memory of God. Do you know it
said of His elect that when He comes and makes this covenant
with you by the Holy Spirit, allows you to see Him and to
believe on Him and establishes that covenant, that He reveals
to you that your sins and iniquities are no more? I will, I, God said, will remember
them no more. What would it be worth to you
today to know that the Father looks upon you with a perfect
vision, perfect vision, and finds in you nothing but holiness,
finds in you a man who is unblameable, unreprovable in His sight. What would it be worth to you
today to know that when this body breathes in its last breath
and falls limp upon the bed, that you have a house not made
with hands in the heavens? That to be absent from this body
is to be present with the Lord. to know that when I depart from
this world, I have a place prepared for me in the Father's house
by His dear, beloved Son. What's that worth to you? What
would it be worth to you today to know that when this flesh
lays down in death, that the Lord is going to raise it up
again? This old, weak, sinful flesh going to be laid down and
go back to the dust from which it was taken. But God is going
to raise it up. And He is going to raise it up
in absolute perfection. And you will be just like Christ.
Not even a thought of foolishness shall enter into your mind. What
would that be worth? What would it be worth to you
today to know that nothing, not now, not ever shall be able to
separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord." What's that worth? My friend, this is a salvation
of God's elect and more. Unto you therefore which believe.
He is precious. He's precious. But unto them
which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed,
the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word
being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. Jesus Christ and Him crucified
is foolishness to the world. The idea of an eternal God displaying
His power and grace in the salvation of a people and creating this
whole world as a stage to manifest it in is foolishness to this
world. This world will allow a certain
place in his life for a little inspiration, a little bit of
motivation. He'll tolerate some visual aids.
He'll tolerate some candlelit ceremonies, something to soothe
his guilty conscience. He'll give in to a little bit
of moral teaching, a little moral reform, as long as it isn't too
demanding. But don't try to convince him
of an eternal redeemer. Don't try to tell him that his
life is in the hands of the sovereign redeemer. Don't try to sell him
on the idea of salvation by sovereign grace. I'll tell you what he's going
to tell you. Take that stone and get it out of my temple.
The stone which the builders disallowed. Get it out of my
temple. Take that stone and get it out.
Jesus Christ is to this religious world a stone of stumbling and
a rock of offense. He's offended by it. He doesn't
meet their criteria. He doesn't come up to their standards. He don't fit into their mold. They're looking for a Christ
who submits to their wills. They're looking for a Christ
to assist them in the work of salvation. They're looking for
a Christ who needs their work to make His work work. How foolish is that? They're
looking for a Christ who knocks on the door. But it's helpless
unless they open the door. You ever seen that picture? And
they're knocking on the door. Jesus Christ, God's dear Son,
is a stumbling block, a rock of all things. And you can preach
the Jesus of this world to man from now to the end of time and
nobody's going to be offended by it. You'll get a good name
in the community for doing it. Make your profession of faith.
Walk down the aisle. Go into the baptismal pool. Do all of those things. Do all
those things that religion tells you to do. And nobody, not even
the drunks in this world, are going to be offended by it. But
preach to them the sovereign Christ in whom is salvation accomplished. Who saves by His grace. Who needs
no help from man. who rules over the very providence
which they live out day to day. The heart of the king is in his
hands like the rivers of waters, and he turneth them whithersoever
he will. Preach to them that, Christ,
and see if I am not telling you the truth. They are offended
by it. Unto you which be disobedient.
Disobedient to what? Disobedient to the Word which
by the Gospel is preached unto them. Oh, preacher, that's your opinion.
That's your interpretation. The majority disagrees. Yes, and they always have. They always have. Do you know
the way into hell? is called the broad road. And he said, many there be that
be on that road. Does that sound like a majority
to you? The way into life eternal is
described as a narrow way. And he said, few there be that
travel this road. That sounds like the minority
to me. The majority in the Scripture
has always been on the wrong side. History proclaims it. It was the majority who died
in the flood. There wasn't but eight souls
on the ark. Everybody else said, that old man is crazy. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. It was the majority who died
in the flood and the majority who built the Tower of Babel. It was the majority who would
not enter into the Promised Land, the majority who resisted the
rule of Moses, and the majority who crucified the Son of God. You better rethink that thing
about the majority. Our Lord said, if you were of
the world, the world would love its own. But because you're not
of the world, but I've chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you. What is Jesus Christ to you? What's His worth to you? Unto you therefore which believe,
He precious. He's precious. That old collector
of pearls, he had many pearls. He had a
bag of pearls. He had a workshop full of pearls.
He knew where pearls come from, and he knew what pearls were
worth. He knew the worth of them. He
knew pearls. He was a dealer in pearls. And
one day, he saw one pearl. And when he saw that one pearl,
all the other pearls just faded into non-existence. He saw one
pearl. And he said, I got to have it.
I got to have it. What's it worth? What's it worth?
Everything you have. Everything you have. Well, that's
a lot. But I got to have it. I got to
have it. So he reached in his wallet and
he got all of his money out, every bit of it. There it is.
Set it on the counter. Counted out whatever it was,
a great sum of money. He took it and he said, alright. He said, now I'm going to have
to take my car Oh, you have a car? One car. Well, I've got to have
my car to go to work. Oh, you have a job? One job. I can't give you my job. I have
a wife. You have a wife? One wife. Well, how am I going to pay for
all the things? You have things in your house? Put that down.
Is that everything? That's all that I have. All right. Now, I'm going to
let you take my car with you. But if I send somebody over,
one of my own, and he wants to borrow it, you know it's my car,
don't you? You like music. You know this fellow over here,
if I send him over and he needs a little money, that's my job
you're working. You give him what he needs. That's your wife, and if I decide
to take her, I'll take her. You won't mind, will you? She's
mine. She's mine. Huh? You see what I'm saying?
What's he worth to you? I'm going to tell you something.
He's either worth all, or he's worth nothing. That's how it
is. That's how it is. He's either
worth everything or he's worth nothing. What's he worth to you? May God be pleased to make him
precious to every man, woman, and child gathered in this place
today.