Let's resume our study in the
book of 1 Peter. A couple of weeks ago, I began
a series of messages entitled, Study in 1 Peter. And we read and commented on
the first seven verses, seven or eight, and then we missed
the Wednesday because of my illness, and we'll pick it up today, this
evening, at verse 7. Now, next Wednesday night, the
Lord willing, we're going to be looking at these verses, beginning
with verse 17, talking about the precious blood of Christ
as a lamb without blemish and without spot manifest in these
last times for you." And I told Brother Dale that we would observe
the Lord's Table along with this study on the precious blood of
Christ. So next Wednesday night, we'll
study that portion, the last part of Chapter 1, and observe the Lord's Table. Now
tonight, let me read verse 7 again. I know we looked at it last week,
but I want to read it in order to emphasize one statement. It
says that the trial of your faith, being much more precious and
of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might
be found unto praise. your faith might be found on
the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ,
at his coming, at his appearing. Now turn back just a few pages
to Hebrews 9. In the last few verses of Hebrews
9, it talks about three appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ. It
says in verse 24, Hebrews 9.24, Christ is not entered into the
holy place made with hands, that is, not into an earthly sanctuary
such as the tabernacle, which was a figure of the truth. Christ
has entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence
of God for us. He is our high priest, our advocate,
our mediator. He appears in the presence of
God now for us. our forerunner. Now verse 25
says, It is not yet that he should offer himself often, as the high
priest entered into the holy place every year with the blood
of others. For if that were true, then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world, for because he had been the lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. But now once in the
end of the world, in the last days, I've told you this is the
last days, in the end of this world, hath he appeared, he appeared
on this earth, he left heaven and came down here in the form
of a man, and he appeared to put away sin, the sacrifice of
himself. Alright, he appeared here on
this earth, son of Mary, son of David, put away sin. He appears now in the presence
of God as our intercessor, our mediator. Now, look at the last
two verses. And as it is appointed unto men
once to die, and after this the judgment, so Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him
shall he appear a second time. without sin unto salvation. He's
coming back. And that's what he said to his
disciples in that beloved message he gave them in John 14. I go
to prepare a place for you, and when I go and prepare a place
for you, I'll come again. And that's what the angels said
to the disciples as they went out on top of the mountain and
the Lord was received up into heaven out of their sight. And
the angels said this same Jesus which is taken up from you shall
so come in like manner as you have seen him go. So he is coming
back. Now look at our text. That is
what I am talking about here and what Peter is talking about
at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Now at his appearing, your faith,
your faith is going to be found. You are going to be found in
him. as all believers are found in him, but your faith tried
by fire, tested by time, tried by persecution, your faith in
him alone, in Christ alone, is going to be taken notice of,
going to take notice of it. Everyone is going to take notice
of your faith, and it shall be found unto His presence and His
honor and His glory. Because everything that He has
given to us is by His grace and by His work for us and in us. But also, now watch this, your
faith is going to be found unto praise and honor and glory unto
the believer. The believer's praise Didn't
our Lord say, well done, our good and faithful servant. Thou
hast been faithful over few things. Enter into the joy of our Lord.
I'll make thee a ruler over many things. So it's twofold. At his coming, his people are
going to be found in him. And that faith which he has worked
in them by his word and by his spirit, is going to be found
under his praise and his honor and his glory, but also under
their praise. Because the Father is going to
call attention to it. You've been faithful. You've
been faithful. And also to our honor, but to
our praise, but secondly to our honor. Let me show you a verse
in John 12. John chapter 12. Now turn over
there and listen to this. John 12. John 12, verse 25 and
26. It says here, John chapter 12, verse 25. Now, he that loveth
his life will lose it. But he that hateth his life in
this world gives it up for Christ, follows
It counts this world but nothing but dung. He may win, Christ
can be found in him. He'll keep his life, he'll keep
it to life eternal. Now, listen to verse 26. And
if any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there
shall also my servant be. And if any man serve me, him
will my Father honor. My Father will honor that man. His faith will be found unto
praise and unto honor." God will honor him. He says, you served
me, my Father will honor you. And then, what about glory? John 17. John chapter 17. In
John 17, verse 22, and our Lord Says in verse 21, he prayed for
us. He didn't pray for only those
12 disciples around him. He said, verse 21, "...that they
all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me, and the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one even as
we are." The trial of your faith, which is his faith, but he gives
it to us and works it in us. We're his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. Though we be tried by fire, tested
by time and trial and trouble and persecution, harassment by
this world, at his appearing, that faith which has been preserved
by his grace and persevered, will be found to his glory, his
honor, his praise, and also yours." Verse 8 says, "...whom having
not seen." Now, Peter saw him, James and John saw him, the disciples
saw him. You couldn't be an apostle without
seeing the Lord. That's the two marks of an apostle.
He had to have seen the Lord and been taught the gospel by
the Lord himself. Paul said, you say, well, Paul
was an apostle, but he saw the Lord as one born out of due time.
And he said in Galatians 1, I didn't receive the gospel from those
who were apostles before me. Jesus Christ taught me the gospel.
He was an apostle. And they saw the Lord. In 1 John
1, if you look over there just a moment, John says in verse
1, that which was from the beginning, which we've heard, which we've
seen. The apostles saw, we've seen
with our eyes and looked upon in our hands of handle of the
word of life, that they saw him, but you and I haven't seen him.
Not with these eyes. John's talking about these eyes.
I've seen him, he said, with these eyes, these ears, heard
his voice, and these hands. Reach hither thy hand and touch
my side, Christ said. These hands handled him. This
head laid on his breast, John said at the last supper. But
you and I haven't seen him in the flesh, but we've seen him
in the gospel. We've seen him in the Word. We've seen him in
the gospel. And listen to verse 8. Whom having
not seen, you love. You love Him. Why do you love
Christ? Well, I love Him because He's
more excellent than all. He's more lovely than all. I
love Him because He's the Fairest among ten thousand, the Bright
and Morning Star. I love Him because He's the Holy
One of Israel, the Perfect One. He's the Son of God. I love Him
because He's the Bright and Morning Star. I love him because he's
altogether lovely, but I love him because he first loved me and gave himself for me." Herein
is love, not that we loved him, but he loved us and gave his
son. How could you keep from loving
him? to be the propitiation for our sins. I love Him because
all fullness dwells in Him, all grace, love, mercy, goodness,
everything's in Him. Anyone who's seen Him will love
Him. Can't help but love Him. When you see Him with, not these
eyes, many people saw Him with these eyes that never loved Him,
that hated Him and despised Him and said, crucify Him! Let His
blood be on us and our sons. But to see Him with the heart,
to see Him in His Word, to see Him in His person and His work,
His compassion, His grace, and His love, is to love Him. Whom
have ye not seen ye love? In whom, though now ye see him
not? But ye believe. Lord, I believe. Help thou mine
unbelief. But I believe, and I tell you
this, it's not a bare historical faith like believing that Caesar lived. It's not a temporary faith that
I shall someday give up. It's not a traditional, even
a doctrinal faith that I'm convinced in my mind It is a heart faith. It is knowing Him. It is looking
to Him. It is going to Him and embracing
Him for life, for salvation, for health, for hope. It is committing
my all unto Him and expecting all from Him. I've never seen Him. But I love
Him and I believe Him. And look at the next line, and
I rejoice. I rejoice with joy unspeakable. What does that mean, unspeakable?
Well, believers who know Christ, I'm
not talking about religious people who have religion. I'm talking
about believers who look to Him, who know Him, who have embraced
him, who have received him, who have been made one with Christ,
this is a joy that is better experienced than expressed. This joy, this loving Christ,
believing Christ, and rejoicing in Christ, is a joy that is experienced. and just can't be expressed.
It's unspeakable. If you were to ask me to put
in words my joy and rest and peace that I have in Christ,
honestly, I don't believe a person could do it. It's unspeakable.
It's experienced, but it's so difficult to express. And another
thing It's a deep inward joy. It's an inward joy. It's an inward
peace, which produces contentment, not so much emotion. It's like
people who've been married for a long, long time, who love one
another, who need one another, who are one flesh. They have a contentment. and
a joy and an inward union and compassion that doesn't require
saying every five minutes, I love you. I need you. I want you. Can't do without
you. It's just there. See what I'm
saying? And I know that the preachers
in these whoop-de-doo churches say that this is a dead church.
That nobody shouts and hollers and runs up and down the aisle.
We passed that. We reached a state of experience
in the joy of the Lord that doesn't have to be expressed. We reached a contentment and
a joy in heart that, like Peter said, Lord, I don't have to tell
you, you know I love you and I know it. That's been settled
a long time ago. And this joy is a continuous
joy. And it's not dependent on signs and on fleshly gifts. You know,
that fellow said to the three Hebrew children, before they
put them in the furnace, he said to them, is your God able to
deliver you? They said, He's able. But if
he doesn't, he's still our God. And that's the way it is. This joy is continuous. If he gives me my heart's desire
at the present moment, that's fine. If he doesn't, he's still
my God. My hope, my joy, my trust, my
all and then all. He's still my God. And that's
settled. And it's unspeakable. And the
people who know it, you don't have to speak it. And the people
who don't know it, you're wasting your breath. Let's try to explain it. Full of glory.
And watch verse 9. Receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your soul. What does the word end there
mean? Goal. G-O-A-L. What's the end? End of this thing. The goal of
faith. The goal of faith, the aim of
faith, what is it? Well, it's not just to make life
more bearable here on earth. It sure does make it more bearable,
doesn't it? But that's not why God gives
you faith, to make life more bearable. And it's not to give
you moral principles to live by, although it certainly does.
But that's not why he gives us faith in Christ. just to give
us a standard by which to walk, is not just to keep these bodies
well and healthy. The end of faith, the goal of
faith, the aim of faith is the salvation, the eternal salvation
of your soul. To deliver you from all sin,
darkness, disease of the soul. To deliver you from the curse
of the law. To deliver you and me from the
clutches of Satan and his ways. To deliver us from death. Eternal
the second death. To deliver us to eternal glory. Now unto Him who is able to keep
you from falling and to present you faultless before His presence
with exceeding glory. That's the end of this faith. The salvation of your soul. And
like Brother Bob read a while ago, he shall not fail. Behold my servant, mine elect,
in whom I put my spirit, he shall not fail. He's going to save
all whom the Father gave him. He said, all that my Father gave
of me, they'll come to me. And him that cometh to me, I'll
never, no wise, cast him out. Nothing can separate us from
the love of Christ. And he says here in verse 10,
of which salvation? This salvation of our souls from
sin, from Satan, from death, from the curse of the law. The
prophets, that prophet we read a while ago, Isaiah, Moses, Daniel,
David, all these prophets have inquired and searched diligently
into that salvation. They searched diligently into
the promises of that salvation, into the prophecies of that salvation.
They searched and studied the types which were given before
them, the shadows that went before them. These prophets longed for
the coming of the Messiah. They looked for the coming of
the Messiah. They wrote about the coming of the Messiah, His
appearance when He appeared on the earth to put away sin. They
wrote about it. They read about it. They studied
it. They searched diligently into
it. These men who prophesied of the
grace, it should come to you and to me. Oh, how I thank God. I preached
a sermon on Paul's writings in Romans 1 when he said, I'm a
debtor. I'm a debtor. I'm a debtor to Moses who wrote
of Christ. I'm a debtor to Isaiah who talked
about mine elect and my servant. I'm a debtor to all those prophets
that wrote of him. And these prophets, they inquired
into that salvation. They prophesied, they wrote of
the grace of God that should come to us in these last days. The coming of Christ, the coming
of the Messiah. And they searched, listen to
verse 11, they searched what or what manner of time, when
and how that He would come. They searched what and what manner
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify. The Holy Spirit in those prophets?
I've heard people say, well, the Holy Spirit didn't come to
Pentecost. The Holy Spirit wasn't in those
men. Oh yes, He was. The Spirit of Christ was in Moses
and Noah and Abraham. If the Spirit of Christ, the
Holy Spirit of Christ was not in them, how did they know the
Lord? No man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Spirit. If the
Spirit of Christ was not in them and upon them, how did they speak
of God? How did they know of God? How
did they write the Scriptures? The Scriptures are God-breathed.
The Scriptures are given by the Holy Spirit. No, the Spirit of Christ. Now
listen, let me show you something. Turn to 1 Peter 3, just over
one page. Verse 18, 1 Peter 3, 18. It says,
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit, by the Spirit, by the Holy Spirit,
quickened by the Holy Spirit, by which, that same Spirit, he
went and preached unto the spirits Now in prison, which at one time
were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited
in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein
few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." Christ preached
to those people in Noah's day. By His Spirit in Noah. That's right. The Holy Spirit
was upon Noah. The Holy Spirit was upon Noah,
and he preached to him. And that's the Spirit that was
in Christ, and that raised Christ. And the Holy Spirit that's in
us. So these men, in verse 11 back here, 1 Peter, the Spirit
of Christ was in them. And they searched those things
which the Holy Spirit did signify. When, I like the word he better
than it, I really don't know why our translators translated
it, the Holy Spirit, it, He. When He testified beforehand,
before coming into the world of Christ, He testified beforehand
in the days of Abel, in the days of Moses, in the days of Abraham,
He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, the cross of Christ,
and the glory that should follow. If you look at Luke chapter 24,
this is the clearest passage regarding the writings of the
Old Testament saints. being a clear declaration of
the gospel of Christ to be found. Our Lord said it Himself. This is the Lord Jesus speaking.
In Luke 24, verse 44, And He said to them, These are the words
that I have spoken to you while I was yet with you, that all
things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses,
in the Prophets, in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened he
their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures,
and said unto them, Thus it is written, thus it is written in
the Scriptures, in the Old Testament. And thus it behooved Christ to
suffer down the cross, to rise from the dead the third day.
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in
his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. We have one gospel.
It's always been the gospel. The gospel of the sufferings
of Christ. It's the gospel of the cross of Christ. It's the
gospel of our substitute. In 1 Corinthians 15, this is
what Paul is saying to the church at Corinth. Turn over there with
me in 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1, Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, 1 Corinthians 15
verse 1, which I preached to you, which you have received
wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain.
I deliver unto you, first of all, that which I also received,
now that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures. according to the writings of
the Old Testament. Those types, and he's the rock
smitten. He's the brazen serpent lifted
up. He's the Passover lamb slain. He's the blood on the door. He's
the high priest who slew the bullock, roasted its body with
fire on the altar, took its blood into the Holy of Holies, put
it on the mercy seat. And Christ has not entered the
holy place made with hands, and not with the blood of others,
but with his own precious blood into heaven itself to make an
atonement for you and me." That's what this Old Testament is all
about. The sufferings of Christ. And
when our Lord stood on the Mount of Transfiguration, and his body
and his clothes glistened white and pure and beautiful. And the
voice from heaven said, this is my beloved son, hear ye him. Moses and Elijah came down. The apostles saw Moses and Elijah. God brought them back from the
dead. And they appeared talking to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Moses, the Elijah, the prophets,
the law and the prophets talked to the Savior and the scripture
says they talked about the death he would suffer at Jerusalem
for his people. That was what they talked about.
That's what Moses always talked about. That's what Elijah and
Isaiah and the rest of them always talked about. The sufferings
of Christ. The gospel of Christ. The blood of the cross. Now back
to the text. Verse 11 says, they testified
beforehand the Holy Spirit did through these men the sufferings
of Christ and the glory that should follow what He accomplished
by that death. The glory that should follow.
He shall not fail. His glory shall be accomplished.
Read verse 12 now. Unto whom? Unto those prophets.
It was revealed that not unto themselves. They didn't see the
coming Redeemer. He didn't come in their day.
But unto us they did minister the things which are now reported
unto you. The very things I'm preaching
right now is the very thing they wrote and believed. Christ came. They preached Christ will come.
Paul says Christ is here. John the Baptist said He's here. Behold the Lamb of God. Paul
and the other apostles, after he ascended to heaven, says,
he has come, he has gone back to glory, he will come again.
So the things that are reported unto you by them that have preached
the gospel unto you, and they preach it with the Holy Ghost
sent down from heaven. The same Holy Spirit that was
in those prophets were in the apostles. And Christ commissioned
them to take the Word. And I'll tell you this, let me
make three statements here. You listen close to it. I said
this on television Sunday and I played the tape. I taped it
and played it back and it impressed me, I'll tell you that. I don't
know whether anybody else or not, but it impressed me. There is absolutely no way, no way of knowing the mind and
the will and the purpose of God in salvation except by this book. No way. But you can be sure. No way. I don't care if it's a word handed
down by somebody or a feeling or whatever. You can't be...
It's on the way. Secondly, there's absolutely
no way of knowing that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. A lot
of people say He's not. The Jews said He's not. They
said, we won't have this man. The world rejected Him. The Jews
rejected Him. The Gentiles rejected Him. Pontius
Pilate and Herod and the whole crowd rejected Him. They said
He's not the Messiah. You say He is. And I say there's
no way of knowing that He's the Messiah except by the Old Testament. in the New Testament. The Old
Testament prophesying how He would come, and when He would
come, and from whom He would come, and what He would do, and
the New Testament saying, telling you that He did those things.
There's no way. There's absolutely no way. I don't care what people
say, there's no way outside the Word. And thirdly, there's absolutely
no way of knowing that the dead shall rise. except that He arose. There is no way. Now, you tell
me how. You say, I believe the day will
arise. Why do you believe that? Well, I just do. That's not too
good a reason. Tell me how you know the day
will arise. There is not even a clue. There is not even a hint
or clue or suspicion that the day will arise except one thing.
He arose. And if He didn't arise from the
grave, Scripture says nobody will. There is no resurrection. It's all determined. So, listen. This is it. This is it. God spoke to us by His Son. This is it. There's no further
revelation. There's no further proof. There's
no further evidence. Never has been, is not now, never
will be, except the Word of God. People who reject this, put a
question mark on it, their religion is foolish. I deny any religion
that doesn't have as its one foundation of faith and practice
the Word of God. I resist anything except thus
saith the Lord. I won't receive it. I won't preach
it to you. Therefore, there are three things
here now, therefore. Let me give you this, and I'll
let you go. Verse 13 says, Wherefore, which is therefore. Here's three
things we'll do. Since He's given us an understanding,
we may know Him, we're in Him, in His Son Jesus Christ. What
an awesome, unspeakable, eternal blessing. But here's what we're
going to do. We're going to gird up the lorns of our minds. We're
going to stir up. We're going to apply our minds
and hearts diligently to study the Word, to consider these things,
to think upon these blessings that we have in Christ. We're
going to stir up our minds, apply them. Our heart's diligent, and we're
going to be sober. We're going to be serious about
it. Seriously, conscientiously devoted to His Word and to Him. And we're going to hope. We're
going to hope to the end. We're going to continue. We're
not going to change. Our faith and confidence in Him
is unchanging until to the end. We're going to hope for that
grace that is to be brought unto you when He comes again. Old Martin Luther said, Here
I stand. And right here I stand. How about you? Here I stand.
I can do no other. Peter said, That to whom shall
we go? I believe and I'm sure that you're the Christ, the Son
of the Living God. To whom shall we go? That's the
first thing. Secondly, as obedient children,
we're going to live as obedient children to God, to our Lord,
to His Word. We're going to do what He says,
not what the world says. We're not going to fashion ourselves
according to the world, to the former lust, the way we walked
in our ignorance before we knew Christ. We're not going to live
that way. We're not going to allow the
world to govern us, to dictate our conduct and our conversation,
our behavior. The world's not going to tell
us how to live, where to live, with whom to live, with whom
to associate. We're going to be obedient children
to His Word. We're going to do what He said. Those things appeal to us in
our ignorance, but they don't appeal to us in our knowledge. And then the third thing, as the one who called you is
holy, we ourselves must be holy in all manner of conversation,
conduct, manner of life. You know, believers are not only
distinguished by their doctrine. I think that's a mistake. And
I know a lot of people have said that, that we're only known because
of our doctrine. Well, I don't believe that's
true. I believe we are distinguished by our doctrine, but I believe
we're distinguished by our doctrine and our conversation and our
conduct. Let me show you that over in
the book of Titus. I'll read this in the book of
Titus, chapter 2. Believers are not just distinguished
by their doctrine, but by their doctrine and their conduct. A
doctrine that leads to good conduct. Let's read Titus 2 verse 1. Speak
thou the things which become sound doctrine. Characteristic
of sound doctrine. Characteristic of the people
who believe sound doctrine. Let the older men be sober, serious,
temperate. sound in faith and love and patience,
that the older women likewise they be in behavior as becometh
holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, but teachers
of good things, that they may teach the young women to be wise,
to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet,
chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their husbands, that
the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to
be sober-minded, in all things showing thyself a pattern of
good works, sure in doctrine showing uncorruptness, but gravity
and sincerity and sound speech that cannot be condemned, that
he that is of unbeliever and of the contrary part may be ashamed. having no evil thing to say of
you. Exhort servants to be good servants, obedient to their masters,
to work hard, to please them well and all things, not talking
back, answering against, sassing them, not purloring, not stealing,
that word purloring is stealing, no steal, but show good fidelity. Why all this? Here it is, that
we may adorn, make beautiful, make attractive to those who
listen to us and observe us the doctrine of God our Savior in
all things. That makes the doctrine sweeter
to those who hear us and observe us and by our character and our
conduct we exhibit the love of Christ and the grace of Christ.
All right, we'll pick up there the Lord willing next Wednesday
night and have the Lord's table also.