Would you turn back to 1 Peter? I guess I'm coming to Wednesday
night service like you all do all the time. I have been gone
all day. Lynn was in the emergency room
and she's had kidney symptoms, but I think she's going to get
through it. And it's been very painful for her. And I get in
at 20 till 6. rush and try to get ready for
this. But one difference between me and you, you all come like
this, but I'm coming like now I have to preach. So there is a difference.
But she passed it. Oh. OK, well. Well, you all heard it here. I've entitled this message, A Christian Is. Now there are many names given
to Christians in the scripture. Christian is a good scriptural
name. We read in the book of Acts that they were first called
Christians in Antioch, and Peter spoke of, if a man suffer for
a Christian, it's an honorable thing. Christian's a good title,
it's from the scriptures. Christians are also called believers,
disciples, saints, people of that way, the called, the faithful. But what is a Christian? Well, it takes the whole Bible
to answer that question. There's no simple answer. But
what I would like for us to do is look at the first two chapters
of Peter. And in reading this passage of
scripture, we have at least 44 descriptions of what a Christian
is. So I guess you might say I have
44 points to this message, but I won't say that because it's
scary. So here's my first. Of 44 points. Verse one. First, Peter, Chapter one. Peter. An apostle of Jesus Christ. To the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia. Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. A Christian is a stranger. He's a stranger in this world.
Truly, this world is not my home. I'm passing through, and I'm
looking for a city wherein dwelleth righteousness. whose builder
and maker is God. Truly, this world is not my home. I'm a stranger passing through. He says in verse 2, to the people
he's writing to, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit and to obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, Grace unto you
and peace be multiplied. A Christian is elect, chosen
by God. Chosen before time began to be
an object of his mercy and grace. That's what election means. And
I love the way Peter uses the language. If you went to the
average religious person, in Lexington, Kentucky, and asked
them what they thought about election, they'd think, well,
who's running? You know, what are you talking about? But this
was used in the everyday language of the Scripture. Look at the
way Peter ends this epistle. He says in verse 13 of chapter
5, the church that's at Babylon elected together with you, salutes
you, and so does Marcus, my son. That was used in the everyday
language of the early church. A Christian is elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father. God said, before I formed
thee in the belly, before you were even a seed, before I formed
thee in the belly, I knew thee and ordained thee. A Christian
is someone chosen of God. They trace their salvation to
God. And they are sanctified, people who are sanctified
by the Spirit of God, chosen to be saved by the obedience
and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 3, Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant
mercy hath begotten us. unto a lively hope by the resurrection
of the Jesus Christ from the dead." A Christian is an object
of God's mercy. Not everybody is, but a Christian
is, and he's someone who is begotten, birthed by God. If you're a Christian,
you have a nature, birthed by God, that comes from God, born
from above. That's what a Christian is. Being
born again, not of corruptible sin, but of incorruptible by
the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. A Christian
is somebody who's been born of God. And a Christian is an heir,
look in verse 4, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. A Christian
is an heir of God. A joint heir with the Lord Jesus
Christ, so that all that Jesus Christ the Lord has come unto
him, I have come unto me. If I'm a Christian, a joint heir
with the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm talking about, I'm looking
at some heirs right now. People who are heirs of all the
riches of their heavenly Father. A Christian is, verse 4, somebody
who's kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time. A Christian is somebody
who is kept. Now, I know the reason I haven't fallen away,
and here's why. I'm kept. I'm kept. God keeps me from leaving. He
keeps me from going off in a way that I know is perverse and wicked,
that I would go if He didn't preserve me from it. I'm kept
by the mighty power of God. Our Lord said, My sheep shall
never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my Father's
hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no
man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. A Christian
is someone who is kept by the power of God through faith, through
believing the gospel, through believing on Christ. The Lord
said to Peter, Peter, I prayed for you that your faith fail
not. And you know what? Peter's faith
didn't fail. A Christian is someone who's
kept through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last
time. Verse 6, wherein you greatly
rejoice. A Christian is someone who greatly
rejoices. I rejoice. In the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ, I tell you what, it makes me happy that
salvation is all of grace. Does that make you happy? It
makes me happy to know that my standing before God is in Christ. It's not in my works. I rejoice
in that. Wherein you greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, you're in heaviness. Depression of spirits, a heavy,
heavy heart, through manifold temptations. A Christian is also
someone of heaviness. Heaviness. And as long as I sin,
as long as I'm exposed to sin and the consequences of sin,
I'm going to be heavy. Yes, I rejoice in Christ with
joy unspeakable and full of glory, and yes, I am in heaviness through
manifold temptations, trials of mind, trials of body, trials
of circumstances, temptation to sin. I am in heaviness through
manifold Now you know something about that. You know exactly
what he's saying. Yes, we rejoice in Christ. Yes, we know something
about heaviness because of our sin. David said, my sin is ever
before me. And as long as I have to say
that, I'm going to have some heaviness along with that rejoicing.
Now, when I'm without sin, I'm going to have nothing but rejoicing.
But as long as I'm here in this flesh, in this body, with these
trials, in heaviness through manifold temptation, verse 7,
that the trial of your faith. A Christian is somebody that
God tries. You see, these trials, these temptations, these discouragements
are going to show you whether or not you're real. Now, God
already knows, but these trials are for our benefit. Look what
he says. There's a need be, though now
for a season it's need be. You know, there's a need be through
all the heaviness that you and I experience. There's a need
be to it. The Lord knows what it is. That
the trial of your faith be much more precious than that of gold
that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto
praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. He's somebody that God tries.
Whom, verse 8, here's what a Christian is. whom having not seen, you
love." A Christian is somebody who loves somebody they've never
seen. They really do. I adore the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is my all in all, and I've
never seen Him. But I really do love Him. A Christian
is somebody who loves somebody that they have never seen. In whom though, verse 8, now
you see him not, yet believing. You really believe that he is
your righteousness before God. You really believe that he is
your high priest and that he represents you. You really believe
that he is all God requires and you trust him as such, believing. You haven't seen him. but believing
you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving
a Christian somebody who receives. What do you have that you didn't
receive? We know we didn't earn a thing. All we have is what we've received.
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul. of which salvation the prophets
have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that
should come unto you. A Christian is somebody that
grace has come to them. The grace of God. They didn't
come to the grace. The grace came to them and did
something for them. Searching what or what manner,
verse 11, of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did
signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and
the glory that should follow. This is what God, the Holy Spirit,
bears witness to the sufferings of Christ, why he suffered, what
he accomplished, the glory that should come afterwards. Verse
12, unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but
unto us they did minister the things which are now reported
unto you. by them that have preached the
gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven,
which things angels desire to look into." Now listen real carefully.
A Christian is somebody who has the gospel preached to them with
the Holy Ghost, not just in word only. But with the Holy Ghost
that makes them see, this is nothing less than the word of
God. Not everybody has this special
privilege. How many people have never heard
the gospel preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven?
What a privilege. A Christian is someone who hears
the gospel. And he says in verse 13, Wherefore,
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end
for the grace, hope to the end for the unmerited favor that
is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Here's what a Christian is. He's
someone who hopes to the end for the grace, the unmerited
favor that is to be brought to them. Verse 14, as obedient children
A Christian is an obedient child. He obeys the gospel as obedient
children. Not fashioning yourselves according
to the former lusts and your ignorance, but as he which hath
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation,
because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. A Christian is someone who is
holy. You cannot be holy unless you
are holy. And if God says be holy to you,
you be holy. God doesn't say be holy and you
not be holy. If God says be holy, you be holy. A Christian is a holy nation. He's got a nature given to him
by God that's holy. Verse 17. And if you call on the Father,
Christians are people who call on the Father. Lord, have mercy
on me. Lord, give me grace. Lord, do something for me. If
you call on the Father, who without respects of persons, judges according
to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here
in fear. Now, here's how Christians pass
the time. They pass the time of their sojourning,
their temporary stay here, in fear, the fear of God. The fear
of God that makes me afraid of sin. The fear of God that makes
me afraid to look anywhere but Christ. That's the way Christians
pass their time. They pass the time of their sojourning
here in fear. Verse 18, for as much as you
know, Christians are people who know some things. For as much
as you know, and here's primarily what they know, for as much as
you know, that you were not redeemed with corruptible things of silver
and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot, who barely was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you." Christians know that they were not redeemed by
corruptible things. They know they were redeemed.
actually redeemed, that the payment was made, full, complete redemption,
successful redemption. They were redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ. I know my redemption was accomplished
wholly by Him, and Him dying for me, I'm redeemed. I'm not
potentially redeemed, I am redeemed. I'm not, I will be redeemed if
I do this or do I do that. I am redeemed. Christians know,
they know they were not redeemed by corruptible things, but with
the precious blood of Christ. Verse 21, Christians are people
who are enabled, who by Him do believe in God. You know that
your faith is by Him. You know He's the author and
the finisher of it. You know it's not the product
of your free will. You know you didn't just up and decide to
believe. You know that if you have faith, it's by Him. I don't
have to argue that with any Christian. You know your faith came from
Him. You wouldn't dare argue against
that. You know that. Who by Him do
believe in God that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him
glory. That your faith and your hope might be in God. Christians
are people whose faith And hope is not in themselves, not in
somebody else. It's in God only. There's my
faith. There's my hope. It's in God. Verse 22, seeing you have purified
your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit. Christians
are people who have purified their souls. through obeying
the truth, which is by the Holy Spirit enabling them to do so
through hearing the truth. What is it to obey the truth?
It's to believe the truth. It's to believe the gospel. And
what is more purifying than believing that Christ is your purity before
God? What is more purifying than believing that Christ is your
righteousness before God? What is more purifying than believing
the gospel? You've purified your souls, Peter
says. And through obeying the truth
to the Spirit, and this is what this always results in, unto
unfamed, genuine, not fake, not phony, but unfamed love of the
brethren. Christians are people who have
unfamed love of the brethren. And I can't tell you what good
it does me just to be with you right now, to be with people
who unfeignedly love the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that a privilege?
Isn't that a blessing to meet with God's people? Unfeigned,
genuine love. I got it. I got it. Now, he says,
see that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently
being born again. This is a Christian. He's someone
who's born again, born from above, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth
forever. And here's that word that lives
and abides forever. Here's the message that every
Christian hears and believes. Christians are people who hear
this message and believe this message is found in verse 24
and 25, all flesh is grass. What do we do with grass? We
put it in Herbie. You can't even put it in the
trash. You got to put it in the recycling bin and throw it away. It's worthless
in and of itself. It's grass. All flesh is grass. And the glory of man as the flower
of grass, the grass withers and the flower thereof falls away.
That's all we can say about man. But the word of the Lord endures
forever. What's going to endure forever?
Christ Jesus, God's Word, and those in Him. Who's going to
stand in judgment? Those in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord endures
forever. And this is the Word which by
the gospel is preached unto you. Wherefore, laying aside all malice
and all guile and envies and all evil speakings, as newborn
babes, crave, that's what the word desire is, lust after, crave
the sincere or the pure milk of the word. that you may grow
thereby. A Christian is someone who craves
the pure milk of the Word. Give me the Word of God. I don't
want the Word of man. Oh, God is my witness. I don't
want the Word of man. I want the Word of God, the pure
Word of God. A Christian craves the pure Word
of God that he may grow thereby, verse 3, if so be you've tasted
that the Lord is gracious. The Christian has tasted that
the Lord is gracious. You see, grace is more than a
doctrine they believed. They've tasted of grace, and
it tastes good. If so be you tasted that the
Lord is gracious. Verse 4, to whom coming? Now here's a Christian. He's
someone who's always coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is
the description of a Christian to whom coming. Notice it doesn't
say to whom you came, though you did. It doesn't say whom
you intend to come to, though you do, but whom coming right
now. Right now, just as I am without
one plea. But that thy blood was shed for
me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. I'm coming to him. Lord, I'm
coming to you right now. Whatever it means to come, I'm
coming. Have mercy on me. Him that cometh
to me, he said, I'll in no wise cast out. I come to him for faith.
I come to him for repentance. I come to him for a new heart.
I come to him for love. I come to him for grace. I come
to him for forgiveness. I come to him to incline my heart
in the way it ought to go. I'm totally, I've got to come
to him for everything. And that's what a Christian is.
To whom? Coming, always coming to the
Lord Jesus Christ. To whom? Coming as unto a living
stone. They come to that one who was
disallowed. disapproved indeed of men. Now,
the Jesus that's popular with men, we don't come to that one.
We don't have any interest in him. That one that men... We
come to that one that men reject. The one that men disapprove of.
The one who indeed was disallowed of men, but chosen of God and
precious. You also, as living stones, are
built up spiritual house, and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Now, the Christian is someone
who offers up spiritual sacrifices. We just read about him there
in Hebrews chapter 13. He said, By him, let us offer
the sacrifice of praise continually. That is the fruit of our lips,
giving thanks to his name, but to do good and to communicate
or give, forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is well
pleased. And that word is highly pleased
with, well favored. A Christian is someone who is
well favored and acceptable to God. When I come into God's presence,
I tell you what, I don't feel holy and clean and pure. I come into God's presence, creeping
into His presence in my sin, burden me down, my unbelief,
my helplessness, and He says, there's my boy. He's beautiful. He's perfect. He's highly favored
of me. And I offer these spiritual sacrifices,
well, highly favored by God through Jesus Christ. Verse 6. Wherefore,
also it is contained in the Scriptures, Behold, I lay in Zion a cheap
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded." You know what that word means? It
means he won't be ashamed. He won't be ashamed. Now, this
is true in two senses. Here's the first sense. I am not ashamed of the gospel. Matter of fact, I'm proud of
it. The gospel I preach is worthy of God. It gives God all the
glory, and it gives no glory to the flesh. It exalts the Lord
Jesus Christ. It glorifies every attribute
of God. I'm proud of the gospel, aren't
you? The gospel, I'm proud of it. Not only am I proud of the
gospel, but it means this, that one who believes on Christ, that
calls on His name, that believes on His name, he will not be put
to shame. You know why he won't be put
to shame? Because there isn't anything for him to be ashamed
of. You see, Christ blotted out my sin so truly and so really
that when I stand before God, I'm not going to stand before
God as a forgiven sinner, but a justified saint, someone who's
never done wrong, someone who has absolutely nothing to be
ashamed of. That's what the blood of Christ
does. That's what the righteousness and the merits of Christ does.
It makes me stand before God without shame. That one who believes
on him shall never be confounded, shall never be put to shame. He says in verse 7, unto you therefore which believe,
he is precious. And I guess this is as good a
definition of Christian as there is in the Bible. And to you which
believe, he is precious. Oh, his blood is precious. His promises are precious. Faith
is a precious gift. The scripture calls these things
precious, but nothing like this. To you which believe, He is precious. How precious is the Lord Jesus
Christ to His Father? Can words even describe? And beloved, He is so precious
to me. my Redeemer to know, for he is
so precious to me. Unto you, therefore, which believe,
he is precious. But here's what a believer is
not. Sometimes that's a good way to
describe what a believer is. Here's what a believer is not.
But unto them which be disobedient, they don't believe the gospel.
They don't see Christ Jesus and his gospel as precious. The stone
which the builders, the religious leaders, disallowed, disapproved
of, the same is made the head of the corner. Now this one who
God has made head of the corner to them is a stone of stumbling. They stumble over him, a rock
of offense. They find his gospel offensive. Even to them which stumble at
the word, they stumble at the gospel, being disobedient, when
unto also they were appointed. What's that mean? Exactly what
it says. I don't know how else to say
it. Those who stumble at the Word before time began, they
were appointed to that end. Are you talking about double
predestination? I don't know what you're talking about. I've
heard people say that. That's kind of what it sounds like to me. I
don't know how else to say it. It says they were appointed to
this. I know they're damned because of their sins. It's not like
God says, I'm just going to decide to damn something, I'm going
to damn it. No. No, God, they're damned because of their sin.
They're damned not because of the appointment of God. They're
damned because of their sin. But they were appointed to that end.
That's what the scripture says. And a believer's not that. But
here's the verse that inspired this message. He said, but you
are. Talking about every believer.
He says, but you are a chosen generation. You're not like these people
described in verses 7 and 8. You are a chosen generation. Chosen by God. You're a royal
priesthood. A kingdom of priests. You know,
I've read of the priesthood of the believer, and that's what
this is talking about. You see, I don't need another man to be my priest. As a matter of fact, it's blasphemous
to think of a man being my priest. The Lord Jesus Christ is my priest,
and every believer is a priest. And we're a royal priesthood,
and we come into God in that way. You're a royal priesthood,
and look what he says next. An holy nation. Holy. You know, I used to have
a real hard time saying I'm holy. And a little part of me still
does. But I believe the Bible. And the Bible says you are a
holy nation. And I believe what God says.
And if God says that I'm holy, you know what? I'm holy. You are a holy nation. See, I've got a holy nature.
I've got that sinful nature that makes it to where I can't see
holiness, but I feel the effects of that holy nature because I
do believe the gospel. I didn't used to. I do love Christ. I didn't used to. I've got a
holy nature. Every believer is holy before
God. He says, you're a chosen generation.
You're a royal priesthood. You're a holy nation. You're
a peculiar people. Now, when we think of peculiar,
we think of weird, strange. Well, a lot of them are like
that. No doubt, a lot of strange people that are believers. I'm
sure I'm one of them. But what the word actually means
is purchased. As a matter of fact, the same
word in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 14 is translated, the purchased
possession. You are the purchased ones. The Lord's bought you. He's paid
for you. You belong to him. You're his
prized possession. He purchased you with his own
blood. What's the difference between
a Christian and a non-Christian? The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen? The Lord said, when I see the
blood, I'll pass over you. That's the difference. The blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody he shed his precious
blood for must be. They are saved. I'm not going
to say they must be saved. They're already saved. Saved
in the mind and purpose of God. Saved from before time began
in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. You're a purchased
people. His own possession. For this purpose, verse nine,
that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called
you. out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now a Christian
is someone who shows forth his praise. And I know, I can say
this with such depth of conviction. If I'm saved, Jesus Christ gets
all the praise. I can say that with such depth
of conviction. I know it's so. If I'm saved, it's because he
saved me and he gets all the praise. And he has called us
out of darkness. Out of the darkness of salvation
by works, to His marvelous light, the light of how God can accept
somebody like me. The light of how God can love
somebody like me and receive and embrace somebody like me
through the gospel. The light of how God can be just
and justify the ungodly. Oh, He's called you out of darkness,
the darkness of religious superstition, to the light of the gospel. Verse
10. Got two more verses. Got 44 points
out of these, you're pretty glad I didn't say one, two, three,
four, you'd be, but 44 points in my time. So. He says in verse
10. Which in time past. We're not
a people. But are now the people of God,
Christians are the people of God, you know what that means?
God's for you. And if God be for us, what's
the rest of the verse? Who can be against us? If you're
a Christian, that means God's for you. Which had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy. A Christian is the object of
God's sovereign mercy. Here's the last verse. Dearly
Beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly
lusts which war against the soul." Now, here's something that a
Christian deals with, and only a Christian deals with it. fleshly
lusts, which war against his soul. You know what that war
means? Paul said in Galatians chapter
five, verse 17, the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit
lusts against the flesh. And these two are contrary one
to the other. They're opposed to one another
so that you can't do the things that you would. Now, you had
these fleshly lusts of battleground going on in your soul. Now, what
did he say to do? What else could he say? He doesn't
say give in to them, does he? He doesn't say don't worry about
it because you're not under the law but under grace. He said,
abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul in whatever
form they come. A Christian is somebody who has nowhere to
turn but Jesus Christ. He says, sink or swim, I go to
Him. And they look to Him only as
everything in their salvation. And you know what? You could
take this whole book and do just what we've done tonight and just
go, a Christian is, a Christian is, just from this book. And
I took this whole book to define and answer what a Christian is. May God give us grace to rejoice
in the light he's given us tonight regarding what a Christian is.
Let's pray together.