Turn back with me now to 1 Peter
chapter 1. My message this morning is a
call to sobriety. A call to sobriety. See it there
in verse 13? Be sober. When men and women reject certain
doctrines or the gospel message as a whole. It's because they're
either ignorant of the Word of God, or they're blinded by preconceived
notions given them by false religion. One of these two things is the
difficulty. In II Corinthians chapter 4 and
verse 3, talks about his conversion and calling to the ministry.
And he was one of the chiefest among the Pharisees. He was a
very educated man and a teacher, highly respected among the Jews. And he spoke of that as when
he talked about his true calling to the ministry, he spoke about
that time saying, I have renounced the things of dishonesty. Not
walking in craftiness anymore. See it up there in the first
verses of 2 Corinthians 4? I've denounced these things.
I've left these things behind. That's where I was at one time.
But no more. Now, he said, I speak to you
the Word of God. I speak to you the true message
of God. And he said, If our gospel be
hid, see it there in verse 3, this message that I preach, these
things that I declare to you, if our gospel be hid, it's hid
to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them. If men were not ignorant of God's
sovereignty, he wouldn't argue over God's election. Would he? If God's sovereign, Paul asked
this question in Romans chapter 9. He said, who art thou, old
man, that replies against God? When you argue these things with
God, he said, who are you? Do you know who you're arguing
with? Do you know who you're fighting against? Who art thou
that replyest against God? If God says these things, these
things are so. And if men were not ignorant
of God's sovereignty, He wouldn't argue about election, He wouldn't
argue about irresistible grace, if He knew the sovereignty of
God. Is there something out there that can resist God? Is the will
of man backed by such power that he can resist God? If men were not ignorant of God's
sovereignty, they wouldn't argue over these things. They wouldn't
argue over predestination. You mean to tell me an omnipotent
God cannot predestinate things? Sure He can, if He wills to do
it. And if men were not ignorant
of God's holiness, he wouldn't be going about like the Jews
of old, ignorantly trying to establish his own righteousness.
But he does that because he's ignorant of the righteousness
of God. That's what he tells us over
there in Romans chapter 10. And if men were not ignorant
of God's immutability, they wouldn't talk about God changing his mind
or changing his ways. A fellow told me one time, he
said, maybe God will make an exception in my case. I don't
think so. He said, I am the Lord. I change
not. When God says I do a thing, he
means that he does this thing. And this is the way he does it. If men were not ignorant of God's
justice, they wouldn't talk about justifying themselves before
God. By the deeds of the law, he said,
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. And if men were
not ignorant of God's righteousness, he would not deny his depravity. This is where the denial of depravity
comes from, self-righteousness. When a man comes to see himself
in the light of God's absolute perfect righteousness, he sees
himself as he is, totally depraved. No goodness in it. They're non-righteous. That's what Paul said. He said
when the law came, when the principle of the law, when the true law
came in this revelation of Jesus Christ and he saw the righteousness
of God, when the law came, he said, I died. I died. All of him, every part of him,
all of his righteousness, all of his hope, all those things
died. And when men and women reject
the gospel or certain gospel doctrines, it's always due to
ignorance and blindness brought to bear by false religion. And
so it is when believers become complacent and indifferent and
careless in their attitudes and careless in their spirits. There's
four things which Peter establishes at the outset of this general
epistle. You'll notice up there at the
top, this is Peter's first general epistle. It's going out to all
these churches scattered abroad, all these churches at large out
there. Some of them maybe he knew, some of them he didn't
know. But he wrote this general epistle and he gives them four
things that he would have them know before he gives this call
to sobriety. And first of all, this is what
he'll have them to know, that salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. It's
purposed of God. It's designed of God. And it's
accomplished by God Himself both for and in the sinner. Now most people won't argue too
much about God accomplishing things for us. Christ died as
our substitute. He came as our representative.
That's what the Scripture said. And the salvation that He talks
about, He always talks about it being in Christ. Salvation is of the Lord. But
men will deny that salvation is accomplished by God in them.
Yet the Scripture clearly tells us that it's God that worketh
in you to do what? Both to will and to do of His
good pleasure. And except God intervene and
do that work in you, if God leaves you to yourself, that's reprobation. That's what that is. If He leaves
you to yourself, here's what you'll do. You'll wander around
out here until you find something that appeals to you, either religious
or irreligious, whichever it is. You'll find something that
appeals to you and that's where you'll settle and that's where
you'll stay until you die. Now that's just the truth. That's
reprobation. Salvation is when God intervenes. That's what Paul talked about.
God intervened in his life. He told it to everybody he preached
to. God intervened. One of the biggest surprises
to me coming out of false religion was the fact that the salvation
set forth in the Word of God is altogether owing to the work
of God. All of it. Every bit of it. Let me read you just a few scriptures
along these lines. Now, I've already read to you
here in 1 Peter chapter 1, which is my text, He said that you
are called according to the foreknowledge of God. God has separated you. You are His elect. That is what
He told them there. You are Mine elect. And we know
what that is. That is the people God chose.
Well, let me give you just a few more Scriptures. In 2 Timothy
chapter 1, listen to this in verse 9. Paul said, God has saved us and
called us with a 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. Do you see it there? Ephesians chapter 1 and verse
11, after telling us that God the Father had blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
We should be holy, that we should be blameless before Him, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to Himself,
being accepted in the beloved. He goes on down here and in verse
11 he said, in whom also, still talking about Christ, we have
obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will. And then here's another one over
in Acts chapter 13, if you want to turn over there, Acts chapter
13. Paul had begun his missionary
journey, and he went to a little place called Antioch. And there
he met in the synagogue and preached to the Jews and preached to the
Gentiles. But the Jews rejected his message. And he said, lo, he said, since
you judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, he said,
lo, he said, I turn to the Gentiles. And when the Gentiles, verse
48, when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad. And they glorified
the Word of the Lord. Now watch this. And as many as
were ordained to eternal life believed. Isn't that something? I didn't say as many as believed
were ordained to eternal life, though that's true too. But he
puts it this way, as many as were ordained to eternal life,
believed. They believed. And then here's
one more that I believe most of you are familiar with over
here in John chapter 10. This is where the Jews got upset
with Christ. They could tell exactly what
He was saying about them. He told them before He got to
this point that their father was the devil and the deeds of
their father, they did. And He said, Moses is not your
father. If you'd believe Moses, you'd
believe Me because he wrote of Me. But here in John chapter 10,
they got upset. And they said, If thou be the
Christ, tell us plainly. And He said, I told you. And
I told you plainly. But now watch this here, verse
26. But you believe not, because you are not My sheep. As I said
unto you, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. The new birth
in the Scriptures. I'm going to give you some Scriptures
here. I'm not going to read them. I'll just let you jot them down
and look at them at your own convenience. But the new birth
is of God. It's of God. It's not something
you can bring on yourself. I had a young man who was a Southern
Baptist. I don't know what every Southern
Baptist church believes because I haven't been to every Southern
Baptist church, but he was a Southern Baptist. And this is what he
told me. He said, I accepted Jesus as
my personal Savior and was born again. He said, that's how you
get born again. No, you don't have anything to
do with this birth. Not anything to do with it. In
fact, our Lord said this about that new birth. He said, the
wind blows where it listeth, and you can't tell where it's
going to blow or where it comes from. All you can do is feel
the effects of it. And that's exactly how this new
birth is. It's of God. The new birth is of God. You
can read about it in John 1, verse 13. In John 3, verse 8.
In James 1, verse 13. And then, preaching is the means
ordained of God. It pleased God over there in
1 Corinthians 1.21. It pleased God through the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. That's the work of God. Paul tells them over there in
1 Thessalonians 2, I think it's verse 13 or somewhere along in
there. He said this, he said, I thank God for you brethren,
because when you When you heard the Word which we preach, the
Gospel which we preach, you didn't receive it as the Word of men,
but as it is indeed the Word of God. That's what he said.
You received it as the Word of God. This is the work of God.
God's ordained this. Faith, he said, is the gift of
God. He tells us that in Ephesians
chapter 2. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Paul said his confidence. He
wrote to the Philippians and said his confidence was this,
he that had begun a good work in you would perform it unto
the day of Jesus Christ. And repentance, men are led of
God to repentance. So where in all eternity is a
work that man can say that he did without the aid of God? There's no such thing. There's
no such thing. You can't find it in the Scripture. All of these things, those things
which are done for men and those things which are done in men
are all performed of God. And without His assistance, you
can do nothing. Isn't that what He told that
rich young ruler when he walked away and his disciples said,
well, who then can be saved? He said, with man it's impossible. But with God, all things are
possible. And this was common knowledge
among the churches of Christ in that day. But we forget these
things and we become complacent about these things because we
don't think on them. And that's what Paul is saying
over here. Sober up. Sober up. And then here's the
second thing Peter would have all the churches of Christ to
know is that their hope and peace and joy was accomplished confirmed
and received up into glory in the person of their Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is secured
on our behalf in the seated, victorious, present reigning
King of glory. He already has it. He already obtained it. He already secured it. He sits
on the throne of omnipotence. having accomplished all these
things. Listen to the Scripture. But God, He tells us in Ephesians
2, 4, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved
us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us to gather
with Christ, by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up
together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. In order that, or that, in the
ages to come, these ages, these ages, these very ages that we're
living in, that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding
riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Salvation is not only of the
Lord, but it is also through the Lord. Peter tells us there is none
other name given among men whereby we must be saved. There is only
one way. Christ said, I am the way. There
is only one resurrection. He said, I am the resurrection.
And He's made of God to be unto us, Paul said, wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. He's the body, Paul said in Colossians
chapter 2, that projected all those shadows, all those Sabbath
days, and all that priesthood, and those sacrifices, and the
tabernacle, and the mercy seat. This is the body that produced
those shadows. That body is Christ. And He is
the embodiment of all the promises of God. Listen to this, Galatians
3.16. Now, to Abraham and his seed
were the promises made. The promised inheritance. All
of these promises that God made. To Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of
many, but unto thy seed, which is Christ. He is life eternal. In Him is life. To know Him is
life. To believe on Him is life. And to have Him by faith is life. He that hath the Son hath life.
And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. And all
of the blessings and benefits of accomplished redemption is
secured in the person of Jesus Christ who is seated at the right
hand of God. He's not waiting to see what
we're going to do. The redemption of God's elect
is secured in Christ. And from that throne, from that
secured throne of accomplished redemption, the Holy Spirit is
sent. God's preachers are sent. God's
providence is arranged. All things working together for
your good and His glory. You see that? Now that's a difference. Religion is not preaching that.
Religion is preaching circumstances of time and circumstances of
will and all of these things to men. And I'm telling you this,
that salvation is secured at the right hand of God. And if
it wasn't, you wouldn't have a preacher. You'd never hear
the gospel. God's Spirit would never intervene
in your heart and trouble you. You wouldn't have repentance.
You wouldn't have conviction of sin. And He's our hope reserved,
Peter said, in heaven. Now watch this. Here's the third
thing Peter will have all these churches to know. Verses 4 and
5. That these things are reserved in heaven for you. See it there
in the last part of verse 4? Reserved in heaven for you who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. ready to be revealed in the last
time. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
10. Hebrews chapter 10. And look down here at verse 38. This is written four times in
the Scriptures. It's written in Habakkuk, it's
written in Romans, written over here in Hebrew. Now the just
shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, draw
back to what? What's he talking about drawing
back? Well, to the pleasures and treasures and appetites of
the world. If any man loved the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. He can draw back to that. All that's in the world, the
lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, The pride of life,
it's not of the Father, it's of this world. Draw back to what? To the pleasures, the treasures,
and the appetite of this world? What else? To the lies and empty
promises of false religion. To sin willfully, he tells us. And he's not talking here about
all sins. All sins, willful sin. But what
he's talking about here in particular, in Hebrews chapter 10, if we
sin willfully. He's talking about having received
the knowledge of that sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that accomplished
redemption of Jesus Christ. If you reject that, if you sin
willfully having heard this gospel and you walk away, he said, there
remaineth for you no more sacrifice for sin. Because that's the only
sacrifice. Nothing left for you but a certain
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation. To sin willfully, having received
the knowledge of the truth, turned to the ways and means of false
religion, is a sure sign of reprobation. If you reject the Christ of God,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. There is only one propitiation
for sins, the Lord Jesus Christ, only one righteousness acceptable
to God, Jesus Christ the Righteousness. And if any man draw back, draw
back to what? Draw back to the pleasures and
treasures of this world, to the empty promises and lies of religion,
and to our old feelings and experiences and traditions. If any man draw
back, he said, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Hebrews 10 verse 39, But we are
not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe
to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 11 verse 1, Now faith,
that which believes to the saving of the soul, is the substance
of things hoped for. Why do you think you have eternal
life and this fellow here don't? Why do you believe that? Why
do you believe that? Why do you believe that some
are dead in trespasses and sin while some are saved? Why do
you believe that? Because I believe God. That's
the substance of it, isn't it? That's what he's talking about.
Why do you think you're saved and others are lost? I believe
God. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Believers are sealed with the
Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of their inheritance.
It's the very substance of the things hoped for. And it's the
evidence of things not seen. Faith is the evidence of your
election of God, you believe. Isn't that what Paul told Moses?
He said, I know your election of God. Because our gospel came
not unto you in word only, but it came in power and the Holy
Ghost, and you believed. You believed. He tells them in John 5, verse
24, he said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from
death unto life. Tongues are not the evidence
of life. Miracles are not the evidence
of life. What is then that evidence, that
evidence of our election, the election of God's saints? Faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the evidence. That's the
evidence. It's the substance and it's the
evidence. And then the fourth thing Peter
would have all the churches scattered abroad to know is that the faith
of God's elect shall be tried and proven with fiery trials. He said, I know. He said, these
are the things that we rejoice in, although you might not be
rejoicing right now. Might not be rejoicing right
now. You might be going through a heavy trial. And here's what
that trial's for. It's for your good. Faith don't
come from trials. It's proven in trials. And all
faith is going to be proven in these fiery trials. Listen to this. Paul told the
Corinthians, he said that every man's work shall be made manifest,
for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed
by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. Trials of worldly affection and
family influence and religious tradition, and worldly advantage,
trials of riches and poverty. The man of God prayed in Proverbs
chapter 30. He said, give me neither poverty
nor riches, lest I be full and deny thee, or be poor and steal,
and take the name of the Lord God in vain. Faith undergoes
fiery trials and life-altering trials and trials of severe persecution,
isolation, false accusations, and sometimes by those closest
to you. That's right. Your own father,
your own mother, your own sister, your own brother. Those that
are closest to you. Your enemies, our Lord said,
shall be them of your own household. And these trials are not punishments.
These trials are given to reveal true faith and expose empty profession. And this salvation is the same
salvation that the prophets inquired of God about. You see it there
in 1 Peter chapter 1. I read it to you a few moments
ago. They searched diligently about these things. These things
were wondrous to them that was being spoken of, and they searched
diligently what time or what people these things were about.
And it was revealed to them that it wasn't for that age, but for
an age yet to come. And this salvation is the same
salvation which Moses and Abraham and Isaiah and Job and David
wrote about. And this salvation written by
divine inspiration is the same salvation which is declared unto
you by them that have preached the gospel with the Holy Ghost
sent down from heaven. Now here's the conclusion of
all this. 1 Peter 1, verse 13. that is based upon all he'd just
written and upon all which they themselves had already experienced. Wherefore, gird up the loins
of your mind." I read these by different writers
and jotted them down for you. That man who is about to run
a race girds up that which is loosely hanging lest he trip
on it, or somebody else step on it, or else he might lose
it altogether. That man who is about to go into
a battle girds up tightly that which could hinder him in his
warfare, cause him to stumble, or prevent him from avoiding
a fatal blow. And that man who is about to
take a long journey girds up that which is loosely hanging,
that it not hinder him in his walk, gather unwanted filth from
the earth, or cause needless wear to his covering. He girds
up. Now, he said, gird up the loins
of your mind. You have the mind of Christ. Isn't that what he tells us in
1 Corinthians 2, verse 14? We have the mind of Christ. The
mind of Christ. He tells us in Romans 8, same
thing. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit." They have the mind of Christ. Now he said, gird
up your mind. Gird up your mind. If God has ordained faith as
the means and preaching as the source and the Word of God as
the foundation and Christ as the object, then let us gird
up the loins of our mind and concentrate on these things and
see these things and apply these things to ourselves. Take advantage
of the means. Think on what you've heard. Pray
over these matters and ask God to apply it to our lives. Now
listen to this. Be sober. Be sober. Is he talking here about being
a teetotaler? Is that what he's talking about?
He's not talking about alcohol at all. Not even talking about
it at all. Had no reference to drinking
at all except as a comparison. This sobriety has to do with
keeping our lives and our minds aware of the time and aware of
the dangers and aware of the glorious privileges bestowed
upon chosen sinners who have been called of God. That's what
He's telling you. Remember where you were, and
who it is that called you, and what you've been called to. For some of us here today, eternity
is just staring us in the face. It ain't going to be long, is
it? Another 10, 15 years ain't going to be long. Tearing us
in the face. In a very short time, this body
is going back to the earth from which it was taken, and this
spirit is going to go to God. Everything we know and everyone
in this world is drawing to an end. Do we know that? Do we think on that? No. David said, teach us to number
our days. That is, to know that our days
are numbered. Teach us to do that. that we
might apply our hearts to wisdom. And Christ is our wisdom. Be
sober. Be alert to all the subtle ways
of Satan. Paul said, we're not ignorant
of his devices. We know his traps, his snares,
and his ways, and his intentions. We know his designs. Be alert. Be aware of the greatness and
privilege of the day we live in. These are the greatest days
of glory and privilege that have ever been, these days in which
we live right now. These are the days that the prophets
have inquired about, and these are the days and the issues into
which the angels desire to look into. Men and women being snatched
from the burning. Men and women being raised from
the dead to walk in newness of life. Men and women being called
out of darkness into His marvelous light. The very glory of God
being manifested in the preaching of the gospel and the conversion
of God's elect. And over all of that lingers
the final judgment of God and the destruction of this world
and the ushering in of that eternal place of joy and rest. We wake
up in this ungodly daze of total indifference and say, well, it's
Monday again. Shame on us. Shame on us. Sober up! That's what Paul said.
Wake up! Who lulled you to sleep? Who
put you to sleep? Who brought this indifference
upon you? Think on these things. Sober
up! Now listen to this, 1 Peter 1
verse 13, And hope to the end, whenever that is, for the grace
that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now I've read this thing a hundred
times and never realized this. And I'm not a linguist, I'm not
an English professor, but I'm told by those who know that this
which is to be brought to you means that it's being brought. It's being brought. The revised
version of the Bible reads like this, set your hope fully upon
the grace that's coming. It's coming unto you in the revelation
of Jesus Christ. And this has a broad application. It means that the revelation
of Christ given by the Holy Spirit from faith to faith as we grow
in grace and knowledge of Christ, this revelation is sent to believers
by their right of standing, which is secured by Christ at the right
hand of God. And it's coming. It's coming. It's coming. And then also at
His person in the final appearance at the end of this world. But
what I want you to see here this afternoon is that this thing
is being sent from the throne of God as it's like it's in the
hands of the heavenly host, unstoppable, irresistible, coming, coming
with all powers given unto me in heaven and earth. Now you
go preach the gospel. What's that mean? That means
it's coming. That's what that means. It's coming. The revelation
of Jesus Christ that saves men from sin, that turns men from
themselves and from this world is coming. And it's coming with
irresistible power. You say it's having no effect
on me. I'll say the same thing to you
that our Lord said to those Pharisees. My sheep hear my voice. It's
coming to them. It's coming, and it's unstoppable. Oh, you say, I pray for my children,
but my children are so set in their ways. They're so set in
this. My wife's so set in it. It's coming, and it's unstoppable. It's unstoppable. Oh, my soul,
what hope we ought to have. This grace is coming. How's it
coming? In the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Why is it so irresistible? Because it comes by the Holy
Spirit of God. And when it comes, it's irresistible.
It does its work. It's unstoppable, irresistible,
moving always to its intended object. Being brought by divine
decree, God hath from the beginning, listen to this, God hath from
the beginning chosen you to salvation. through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth were unto He called you by our
Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Don't be lulled to sleep because you see no results. God's not
willing that any should perish. None of His elect are going to
perish. But every one of them is going to come to repentance. And what's not coming here is
coming somewhere else. It flows from the throne of Him
who has all power in heaven and earth to accomplish that end.
And nothing can hinder it because it's all by grace. It's all dependent
upon the power of God. And how will God perfect and
complete this work of salvation? With the revelation of Jesus
Christ. That's how it begun. That's how
it was manifested. And that's how it's preached.
That's how it's experienced. And that's how it will be perfected.
In that day, the Apostle said, we should be like Him because
we'll see Him as He is. It's all in that revelation of
Jesus Christ. May God be pleased today to bring
it to you. Our Father, we thank You. We
thank You for this blessed opportunity to gather in this place, open
this divine book, this book of mysteries, secrets and things
hidden from the wise and prudent of this world and revealed to
the hearts of your sheep.