1 Peter 1. Peter had been speaking here and writing
of salvation. And then he tells us how far
this salvation goes back, how far it was predicted, prophesied
of. of which salvation the prophets
have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that
should come unto you, searching what, or what manner 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. 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, for the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven."
And here is my text. "...which things the angels desire
to look into." The gospel. The angels desire to look into. to the gospel. The Bible has
a lot to say about this order of beings, heavenly beings, that
it refers to as angels. Let me tell you some things about
their attributes. The Bible has a lot to say about
the attributes of these heavenly creatures. They are creatures,
but they are mighty creatures. Mighty creatures. The Lord Jesus
said this about them. The Lord Jesus shall descend
from heaven with his mighty angels. Mighty angels. Powerful, powerful
creatures. Never sent them on a task that
they failed. It may be the destruction of
an individual or the destruction of a nation or the upholding
of a nation. They never fail because they
are mighty angels. They are holy creatures. They
are holy creatures. They know nothing about personal
sin. They cannot sin. When the Son of Man shall come
in His glory and all the holy angels with Him. Holy, holy,
holy. Holy angels. Not like us. Know nothing about sin, their
conscience. They haven't been afflicted with
it, the knowledge of it. Holy angels. They are spiritual
beings. They can take on bodies, and
often do, and probably still do today. But they are spiritual
beings. He maketh his angels spirits,
and his ministers a flame of fire. And sometimes when they
appear, they're glorious in their appearance. That's why men were
often affrighted when they saw them. Listen to what Matthew
28 tells us. The angel of the Lord descended
from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door,
the sepulchre, remember that? And he sat upon it, and his countenance
was like lightning, and his raiment as white as snow. And for fear
of him the keepers did quake and shake and became as dead
men." Glorious spiritual creatures. They are said to be elect angels,
chosen angels. I charge thee before God and
the Lord Jesus Christ and thee elect angels. We know something
about election, don't we? They do too. We were chosen and brought back
from the fall. They were chosen never to fall.
When Adam fell, we all fell in him, the elect as well as the
others. But these elect angels never
fell. They were chosen to be upheld
and kept. Elect angels. We are told about
their number. They cannot be numbered. Enumerable
company of angels. You are coming to Mount Zion
and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels. A bunch of them. A bunch of them. Heavenly hosts. They minister to the Lord, they
minister for Him, and they minister to those who shall be heirs of
salvation. And they are not deficient in
their number. They are innumerable coming angels. And the Scripture says something
else that is very wonderful about them, that they continually behold
the face of God. Always behold the face of God.
The Lord Jesus said, Take heed that you despise not one of these
little ones, for I say unto you that in heaven their angels do
always behold the face of their Father which is in heaven. And as they behold His face,
they worship Him. These angels worship God. All the angels stood round about
the throne and about the elders and four beasts, and they fell
on their faces before the throne and worshipped God saying, Amen,
blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and
power and might. Boy, they know how to worship,
don't they? They know how to ascribe praises to His name.
Be to Him that sits upon the throne forever and ever. Holy
creature, ministering spirits, and they worship God. They also
worship the Lamb of God. They worship the Son of God as
the Lamb of God. Listen to this. And I beheld
and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne,
And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and
thousands of thousands. And they were said with a loud
voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and
riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing."
I tell you, this world is full of fallen creatures that have
no need or no use for the Son of God. And they don't worship
Him. But I tell you, those heavenly
beings up there worship Him. They ascribe praises to His name. They worship God. And they worship
the Lamb. All of this and more is ascribed
to these angels. Now, if you and I were told about
these heavenly beings, that there were some subjects they were
interested in, These mighty angels, these wise
angels, these glorious beings seeing and beholding the face
of God and the Lamb and worshiping Him. And if I told you this afternoon
there was some subject that these angels were interested in, you
know what you'd start inquiring as to what it was. What in the
world could interest beings like this? But Peter tells us, doesn't
he? He tells us. But if this unregenerate world
was left to guess as to what they are interested in, they
would soon be deceived. Listen to this and see if this
isn't so. If we asked an astronomer what he thought these angels
desired to stoop and give their studies to and they were interested
in, why, he would say, no doubt, the mysteries of the heavenly
planets. They'd want to study Saturn with
its shining, spinning rings. Or they'd measure the billions
of galaxies and they'd tell the number of the stars. That's what
they're interested in. If you ask the explorer, he would
tell you that these angels would marvel at the heights of our
mountains. They'd scale the sides of Everest. And they'd skip on the peaks
of the Great Smokies. Or they'd love to To float down
our rivers and admire their beauty. What would the artist say? Well,
the artist would say the angels would come down and gaze upon
our great paintings and study our sculptures. That's what the artist would
say. What would the architects and the engineers say? Well,
they'd gaze upon our skyscrapers. They'd be filled with wonders
at our bridges and our ships and our spacecrafts. They would
be amazed at our imagination and our ability, and our abilities,
not only to imagine but to execute our imagination. What would the
poets and the philosophers say? Well, they'd say these angels
would study the greatness of our intellect. and our abilities
to rhyme and move the heart with our words and debate in our philosophies
about political matters. What would the politicians say?
Well, they would say these angels would surely stoop down and study
our systems of government and how with our laws we can rule
society. What would the mighty generals
say? Well, they'd say they'd study the battlefield and learn
the strategies of war. Well, is all of this so? Is this
what the angels are interested in? See how quickly the world
would err if there is left to speculate. Oh, could these angels be impressed
with the beauties of Saturn and its spinning rings, when after
all they had gazed upon the face of the King and His beauty? Could
they marvel at the height of the hills when they had dwelt
in the height of heaven itself? How attractive would the claries
of our rivers be to these heavenly hosts when after all they stood
gazing upon the pure river of the water of life proceeding
out of the throne. Could they be impressed with
the intellect of fallen creatures when they had set at the feet
of Jesus in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Study earthly generals whose
breath is in their nostrils when they know him who does according
to his will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants
of this earth. Who sets up kingdoms and pulls
down kingdoms, and on and on we could go. But we are not left
to speculate. We are not left to imagine what
these heavenly creatures stoop and are so anxious to learn about
and look into. What is it? It is the salvation
of sinners. Is that it? The salvation of
sinners. Heavenly beings. Beings of pure wisdom from the
time that their Creator made them. They desire to look into the
sufferings of Christ and the Redeemer and the glory that should
follow. It's those things and more that
Peter has mentioned here in this first chapter, where he begins
in verse 2 of speaking about election. Oh, that's something
they love to look into. They love to look into this blessed
hope that we have obtained by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
They love to look into the sufferings and resurrection of Christ and
all that He has accomplished. They study this good hope that
God has given to the poor worms of this earth. They marvel at
that inheritance that is laid up in heaven for them. They desire to look into the
strength of this faith that these believers have. as they wade
through the trials of heaviness. They marvel at their love for
Jesus Christ and rejoice in Him in hope of the glory of God.
They marvel at the gospel, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does this tell us about
angels? They desire to look into these things. It tells us this
about them. Even though they are mighty,
and holy and spiritual beings, yet they are still in a state
of dependency. They are deficient. As far as
the perfect knowledge is concerned, they are deficient. They are
subject to progressively improve. Ain't that amazing? These creatures,
as mighty as they are, they are subject and due progressively
improve in their knowledge. If they desire to look into this,
it means their knowledge can and will and does improve. Oh, they're not sufficient. They're
not deficient to know God's will when He reveals it. They're not
deficient in power to carry out His commandments. But they are
finite beings. They are creatures. There's only
one eternal, infinite being who is absolutely perfect in all
his attributes, and that's the triune God. His understanding
is infinite. His knowledge is not increased
by discovery. There is no past or present or
future with Him. He inhabiteth eternity. But angels
are creatures and therefore they are finite. There are things
that they know now they used to be ignorant of. And there
are heights and depths of knowledge they are still searching out
and will search out for all eternity. No one has ever, neither will
one ever reach those depths and heights and breadths and lengths
but God only. Doesn't this show us the vastness
of the gospel? Oh, how deep it must be, how
high it must be, how wide the gospel must be that these angels
are yet looking in to understand it and come into greater apprehensions
of it. Consider what these angels have
already seen and learned of God and His ways. Weren't they there
with God when He created Adam? Weren't they amazed when God
formed him from the dust of the earth, and they saw the first
breath that our first Father took when God breathed into His
nostrils? They've learned the ways of God's
providence in this world and in heaven for the last 6,000
years. They've learned from His dealings
with the patriarchs and the Jews and in the incarnation and suffering
and death of Christ, His burial and His resurrection. They were
there when the church was established, when the Holy Spirit was given.
And they have watched through the ages of time one elect soul
after another be brought to repentance and rejoiced in it all. They
have watched as Satan has been dragged from countless souls
and the Lord Jesus take His place, His rightful place upon the heart. And yet, after all of these years,
In all of this learning, in all the increase in their knowledge,
what are they yet doing today, just as they were in Peter's
day? They are yet stooping down, looking
unto this gospel, the salvation of sinners. Isn't that amazing
how vast the gospel must be? It is not only the wise apostle
who cried, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, but these
angels must cry it too, because they have not reached the depths,
and they have not scaled the high of the wisdom and the knowledge
that is manifested in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
gospel is called the deep things of God and the wisdom of God
in the mystery, and these angels will search it out for all eternity,
and yet will never be able to reach the depths and the breadth
and the length and the height of these things. Some Armenians
tell us that everybody knows the gospel. We need to get on
with it to something else because we've exhausted the gospel. Everybody
knows the gospel. Some poor Calvinists imagine
that the gospel can be reduced to a system of points drawn up
by some mere man whose depths they can perfectly fathom and
whose heights they can easily scale. But let these angels teach
us. These angels who are mightier
in strength and mightier in wisdom and intelligence than any mere
man. And what do they teach us? Why,
there's a depth and a height and a vastness to the gospel
that they themselves are still stooping to enter into. No, we haven't reached it that
way. We haven't reached it. Oh, there's
a depth in the wisdom of God. in the knowledge and the kindness
and love and power and the goodness and grace and mercy of Jesus
Christ, then the eternal ages will not afford the time to search
it all out. And if the wise mind of these
angels cannot do it, though they have eternity to try and rejoice
in their efforts, I've got a feeling that you and I are not going
to be able to search it out either. Listen to what a man by the name
of William Jay said. He said, Some imagine, as soon
as we enter heaven, we shall reach an ultimatum beyond which
there will be no additions to our knowledge and our enjoyments. Such a stagnation of existence,
devoid of prospect, energy, and excitement, would be far from
desirable, and if it were possible. but it is not." Cease to learn about the deep
things of God. Oh, remember what a teacher will
have. You say, but how can we know any more? Consider the teacher. The teacher is Christ Himself.
Consider the subject. The teacher is so glorious, and
the subject is so vast, and even though our hearts will be enlarged
and there will be no taints of sin to disturb or darken the
understanding, yet this gospel is so vast and glorious, it will
take all eternity for us to search it out. And when eternity has
come, the ages and the ages and the ages have rolled. I've just
got a feeling, brothers and sisters, we're still going to be searching
it out. Listen to Ephesians 2, verse
7. In the ages to come, in the eternal
ages to come, Christ will show, He will teach, He will reveal,
He will manifest what? The exceeding riches of His grace
in the kindness towards us. how little we see and know of
these exceeding riches of His grace. In the shallowness of
our thinking, we imagine we have reached the bottom. Do you ever
feel like that? Oh, you have got to the depths.
We have stood upon the pinnacle when in fact we have only waded
in ankle-deep water, and we have stood, as it were, on a molehill. We know so little of Him and
His grace and His kindness and all His attributes that are revealed
in the gospel. Oh, but in heaven we will find
the Lord Jesus and we will see Him in such an excellent manner
and so much glory that we will never be able to enter into the
depths and height of it. Our glorified mind will be opened
And both angels and saints were set together throughout the eternal
ages and drank into our happy souls the knowledge of the exceeding
riches of His grace." If angels desire to look into
the gospel, then the gospel must be of great value. I can't imagine,
can you, these heavenly holy beings giving themselves over
to study something that's beneath them and trifling? No, they're
such characters. When we see them stooping down
to study the gospel and wanting and desiring anxiously to enter
into the knowledge and the understanding of it, then we must ask, my,
what kind of gospel is this? What kind of value is it? A lot
of men had given themselves over to the study of things. The Bible
says Solomon gave his mind over to the study of many worldly
things. And he wore out his brain studying
the world and reading of books. And then when he filled his mind
full of all, and he had collected all this knowledge, what did
he say? All this vanity and vexation of spirit. But you know, these
angels have spent 6,000 years studying the gospel, and they're
still amazed by it. They're still caught up in the
glory of it, and they still rejoice in it. It's the source of the greatest
joy. It's the source of continued
joy, for the knowledge of it will only increase throughout
the eternal ages. of the increase of His government
and peace, there will be no end. You would think when we reached
heaven, we would have perfect peace. And we will, compared
to what we've got now. But it will increase. That's
the nature. That's the nature of being with
Christ and being taught of Christ. It will just keep increasing.
The knowledge will increase, and as the knowledge will increase,
the joy will increase. As the joy increases, the peace
will increase. Only God cannot increase, but
you and I shall. Two places in the Bible talks
about the saints being as the angels of God. Let me read them
to you in closing. Look in Matthew chapter 22. Saints shall be as the angels
in heaven. Matthew chapter 22. Look in verse 29. These were
the Sadducees who came to the Lord Jesus. They didn't believe
in the resurrection. And he answers them in verse
29, Matthew chapter 22. Jesus answered and said unto
them, You do error, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power
of God. For in the resurrection, the
resurrection of the saints, their bodies be embraced, they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God
in heaven. As far as we know, even though
the angels are called in the masculine form, there are no male or female angels. And in the resurrection, we will
be like them. In the kingdom of Christ, there
is neither male nor female. Here in the kingdom of man in
this present time, We have this distinction, don't we? Thank
God for it. We have females and we have males,
and we marry. And you ladies spend most of
your time serving us and waiting on us as we just experienced. But you know there's coming a
day when you won't be answered. You won't have to answer to your
husband. Now, some of you are going to smile. You may not smile.
My wife smiled. That relationship is temporal.
It will be done away with. There will be no husband and
wife. You ladies will be free. Free. Then you can sing with
Martin Luther, free, thank God, free at last. You will be as
the angels in heaven. They don't marry, neither are
they given in marriage. What does that say to these poor
fellows that are going around killing people, thinking they
are going to have 25 virgins in heaven? There will be no distinction
there, no male or female, but as the angels of God in heaven. Let me show you the next place,
Luke chapter 20. The other place that tells they
shall be like the angels. Look at this, Luke chapter 20,
verse 34. He deals with it a little bit
differently here. He adds something to it. Luke 20, verse 34, And
Jesus answered and said unto them, The children of this world
marry, and are given in marriage. But they which shall be accounted
worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the
dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage, neither can
they die any more. For they are equal unto the angels. They cannot die anymore. Angels are subject to suffering
and death. They cannot die. They are spirits. You cannot kill a spirit. And when the saint is raised
at the resurrection, they'll be as the angels of God. And you know what's going to
take place? When heaven and earth is so united and saints and angels
sit around the throne together, won't that be an amazing time?
You talk about Christ reconciling heaven and earth. He's not only
reconciled God and fallen man, he's reconciled angels and fallen
man. And we'll all sit around the
throne and we'll all learn of him together. And we'll never grow weary of
learning. There'll never be any cold, darkened
hearts. And our joy will increase. And
our capacity to know Him and His attributes will increase.
And what a blessed eternity. There'll be no stagnation. There'll
be no boredom. We'll not have to find other
things to do. But learn of Him. Learn of Him. God bless His Word. Let us pray.