Let's open our Bibles now to
1 Peter 1. I had such a good response from
you concerning the verse-by-verse study through the book of James
that when I began preparing for tonight's message, I thought,
well, let's just pick up where we left off. We finished the
book of James last Wednesday night, and tonight we'll just
begin with 1 Peter. And we'll, for the next several
Wednesday nights, we'll stay in this first epistle general
of the apostle Peter. Now, Peter wrote this epistle.
We know that from the very first word, Peter, an apostle of Jesus
Christ. And it's not, you notice, it's
not addressed to any particular church, like the church at Galatia,
the church at Corinth, or the church at Philippi, the church
at Ephesus. But it's called a general epistle.
It's not addressed to any one person or any one church, but
it's a general epistle to all believers. It evidently, if you'll
turn to chapter 5, just a moment, it evidently was written from
Babylon. Evidently, that's where Peter
was when he wrote this epistle, when God gave it to him. But
we know that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Spirit of God to write the Word, and all of the Word is God-breathed.
But here in 1 Peter 5, verse 13, it says, the church that
is at Babylon elected to gather with you saluted you." Evidently
he was near to them because he sends their greetings to these
people to whom he writes. And he says, so does Marcus.
I think that's John Mark. So does John Mark, my son, send
his greetings to you. And then back in verse 12 of
1 Peter 5. Stay right where you are just
a moment. Back in verse 12 you have, I believe, the We're not
left to doubt about this. The theme, the theme, the theme
of this epistle is given here in verse 12. Now, Peter, the
Lord used Peter to write it. He's writing a general epistle
to all believers. And it was sent to the believers,
taken to the believers by Silas. See verse 12, by Silvanus. That's Silas. That's Paul's comrade,
Paul and Silas. Evidently he was with the Apostle
Peter when he wrote this epistle. So he sends it by Silas, a faithful
brother, unto you, as I suppose I have written briefly, exhorting,
now listen, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of
God. That's my subject, he said. That's
what I'm writing about. This is the true grace of God. where he and you stand. Now,
back to verse 1 of 1 Peter 1. Peter begins this way. He says,
Peter, an apostle of Christ Jesus. Peter does not take unto himself
any title. He doesn't call himself the apostle
Peter. He calls himself Peter, an apostle. There's a difference. He doesn't
call himself a Pope. or vicar, or successor of Christ. He's an apostle of the Lord Jesus
Christ. God's true servants are not fond
of titles, and as you read through the Word, you'll find none of
them taking unto themselves a title. Brother is sufficient, or pastor. Paul, over in Romans 1, called
himself a bondslave. He said, Not the apostle Paul. We can call him that. But he
didn't call himself that. He said, Paul, an apostle and
a bond-serpent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Men who take unto themselves
titles often reveal the pride of their heart. And Peter addresses,
he writes to the people, he calls in verse 1, strangers scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia. He writes to
people who've been driven from their homes, and driven from
their lands by persecution because of the gospel, or sent by God
to preach the gospel in other places. If you turn to Acts chapter
8, here's an illustration of that. To the stranger scattered,
there's the word, scattered. throughout strange lands, different
lands, driven from their homes, from their jobs, from their cities. But everywhere they went, they
went preaching the gospel. Look at Acts chapter 8. This
is talking about Saul of Tarsus, verse 1. And Saul was consenting
unto his death, talking about Stephen's death. And at that
time, there was great persecution against the church, against Christ,
against the gospel, against his people. which were at Jerusalem. And they were scattered abroad
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen
to his burial and made great lamentation over him. And as
for Saul, he made havoc of the church. Oh, how he hated the
message of grace, the message of Christ. Entering into every
house and Hailing men and women, committing them to prison. Now
listen to this verse. Therefore, they that were scattered
abroad. Isn't that what he said over
here, Peter said in chapter 1, to the strangers? Scattered.
Scattered abroad. And they went everywhere. They
were scattered abroad. Went everywhere preaching the
word. So, in God's good providence, These people were taken from
their homes and from their lands and driven out by persecution.
But everywhere they went, they took the gospel. And their God's
sheep heard the word. And these people probably, if
it hadn't been for that persecution, they would have stayed home.
They would have stayed where their comforts were, and where
their friends were, and where their families were, and where
their jobs were, and where their lives were uninterrupted. But
they were driven out. And they preached the word, and
that's in God's providence. He took the gospel that way to
his people. And Saul of Tarsus, who did what he did to persecute
these people out of hatred for Christ and out of anger, was
God's instrument to send them to preach the gospel. The man
who brought me to Ashland as his assistant pastor is no
longer even in the ministry. It denies the gospel of grace.
So God uses whom he will. Like he said to Pharaoh, I've
raised you up, show my power in you. But every man will serve
God's purpose for him. And Saul of Tarsus, even when
he was a rebel, served God's purpose. And when God was pleased
to save him, he served God's purpose then. So they're strangers,
but you know they're strangers to the world. These believers
are strangers to the world. Turn to 1 John, 1 John chapter
3. Why are they strangers to the
world? Turn to 1 John chapter 3. You know, back there while
you were finding that, back in the gospel of John, our Lord
said, Marvel not, brethren, if the world hated you, it hated
me. Now, if you were of the world, the world would love you. But
because you're not of the world, because I've chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hates you. Now, 1 John 3, verse
1, listen. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not. Why? They knew him not. So these people are strangers
to the world, because the world doesn't know Christ, doesn't
know God. He was in the world, the world was made by him, the
world knew him not. And so they do not know you, because they
do not know him. But you know them. You're strangers
in this world, but you're not strangers to the Lord. He said,
I know my sheep, and they know me. And you're not strangers
to the angels. If you look at Hebrews chapter
1, it talks about the angels, and it says, listen to this,
Hebrews 1 verse 13 and 14, Hebrews 1, But to which of the angels
said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool? Are they the angels, not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall
be Heirs of salvation, they are your ministers, they know you. The book of Corinthians talks
about angels being present in our worship services, the angels
of God. And then let me read this, don't
bother to turn, but let me read you this, in Matthew 18, when
our Lord was talking to his disciples about his little ones. not talking
about infants, but talking about little ones, his little children.
He said to Peter, except you become as a little child, you
won't enter the kingdom of God. And then in that chapter, he
several times talks about his little ones, and here in reference
to the angels, he says this. In reference to the angels, he
says this, verse 10, Matthew 18, 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 my Father which is
in heaven. So I would say to the Saul of
Tarsus, the Saul's of Tarsus and to other people who despise
God's little one, be careful. Their angels are ministers, ministering
spirits to the heirs of salvation. And their angels do always behold
the face of my Father which is in heaven. He takes their part. That's right. The angels take
their part. So they're not strangers to the
Lord. They're not strangers to the
angels. They're not strangers to one another. There's a fellowship. There's a family. Listen to what
he said to the apostles in Mark chapter 10. Read this. You read
it before. Let's read it again in the light
of what we're saying. Peter, writing to the strangers,
scattered, driven from your homes, hated by the world, persecuted,
harassed, despised. In Mark 10 verse 28, Peter, he
said this to the Lord. In verse 28 Mark 10, Peter began to say unto him,
Lo, we have left all and followed thee. And Jesus answered and
said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left
house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands for my sake, and the gospels. But he
shall receive a hundredfold now in this time. Not only in glory,
but right now. Right now, houses and bedding
and sisters and mothers, children, lands, with persecution. It will come with trouble and
trial and tribulation and persecution. But you have it right now. There's
a family of believers. They're one body, one spirit,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. They're one. They're one. And yet in the world
to come eternal life. So, back to our text. The apostle
is writing here and he says, I'm writing to the strangers.
To the strangers. Strangers to the world. But certainly
not to God. And not to one another. And not
to the angels. And then he calls them the elect.
Verse 2. Elect according to the full knowledge
of God the Father. Believers are called the elect
of God because God chose them to salvation. Let's look at that
word in a few places in the scriptures. Turn first to Matthew 24. Let's look at this word, elect
and election. In Matthew 24, verse 24, the
scripture says, For there shall arise false Christs and false
apostles. and shall show great signs and
wonders insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect. They'll deceive a lot of people,
but it's not possible for the elect to be deceived. They're
taught of God, taught of the Spirit of God. But if it were
possible, they would be, because that's how deceitful false religion
is. Look at verse 31 of that same
chapter, Matthew 24. And he shall send his angels.
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together
his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other." Look at Mark chapter 13, talking about God's elect. That's what Peter called them.
He said strangers and elect, God's elect. In Mark chapter
13, verse 20. Now, in those days, for in those days
shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of
the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall
be, and except the Lord, except that the Lord should shorten
those days, no flesh should be saved. But for the elect's sake,
whom he hath chosen, he shortened the days. And then let's turn
to Romans chapter 8. Romans 8, chapter 8. God's elect. Romans chapter 8. Elect according
to the foreknowledge of God. Romans chapter 8, verse 29. Romans 8, 29. For whom he did
foreknow, and we're going to look at that word in a moment,
foreknowledge. Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son. Everyone whom he saves is
going to be like Christ. That Christ might be the firstborn
among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he called. Them he also called, and whom
he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. Now, what shall we say to these
things? What's our response? Well, I say, if God be for us,
who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall owe anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Look
at Romans 9. He is elect, elected by his grace. And not only this, but when Rebekah
also had conceived by one even our father Isaac, for the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or any evil, but
that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not
of works, but of him that calleth, it was said to Rebekah, the elder
shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved
Esau. Look at Romans 11, verse 3. Here is the prophet of God, Elias,
making intercession to God against Israel. He's not praying for
Israel, he's upset with them. He says in verse 3, Lord, they've
killed your prophets, they've digged down your altars, and
I'm left alone. And they seek my life. But what
saith the answer of God? What did God say to Elias when
he said, I'm the only one left. And nobody knows you. I'm the
only one that knows you. What did he say? Listen. I have
reserved to myself 7,000 men. There's a remnant. According to the election of
grace. And then Ephesians chapter 1, this is a thread that runs
all the way through the Word of God. Salvations of the Lord
in its origination, in its execution, in its application, in its sustaining
power, in its ultimate perfection from beginning to end, Alpha
to Omega. Salvations of the Lord. In Ephesians
1 it says in verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father. of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing
in the heavenlies in Christ, according as he chose us. He
chose us. We didn't choose him. He chose
us. We didn't love him. He loved
us. He did. He sought us. He chose us in
Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy, not because we were holy, because we weren't, that
we should be. He makes us holy. in the righteousness
of Christ, and without blame before him, in love having predestinated
us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of his will. And then 2 Thessalonians, let's
look at this scripture. 2 Thessalonians, how we rejoice
in God's electing grace. In 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13.
And Paul said, we're bound. I'm just bound to give thanks
always to God for you. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto
he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ. I look back at my text. Peter
called them the elect, God's elect. And he says, according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father. The reason for our election
is not found in us, but in Him. The reason for our election is
not in what we did, it's what He did. It's found in Him. We're elect according to, not
our knowledge of Him, but His knowledge of us. And the word
foreknowledge means foreordained. God knows because God ordains. You see that? God knows. Christ knew from the beginning
who would betray him. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. How does he know? Because he
ordains it. He knew that they would crucify
Christ. Why? He ordained it. Now let
me show you that in Acts chapter 2. Now all the way through the
Old Testament, we have the prophecies of Christ being crucified. How
Judas would sell him for 30 pieces of silver. How the soldiers would
pluck out his beard, how they'd pierce his hands and feet. how
that he would suffer, be lifted on a tree, as Moses lifted up
the serpent, even in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up. All of this is all the way through the Old Testament. The
whole Psalm 22 of the words of Christ on the cross, My God,
why hast thou forsaken me? Hundreds of years before he died.
Well, God knew he died according to the foreknowledge of God,
because God ordained it. Now watch Acts 2, 23. Verse 22, Ye men of Israel, hear
these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you
by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourselves also know, him, this Jesus, being
delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. foreordination of God. He was
delivered by God's foreknowledge, foreordination. He had to die. God sent him to die. It pleased
God to bruise him. He sent his Son into the world.
In the fullness of time, God sent his Son. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain. And we have been chosen to salvation
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. And we
will hear the gospel and we will believe it. Now look at Acts
chapter 4. Acts chapter 4, verse 26. The
kings of this earth, the rulers, were gathered together against
the Lord, against his Christ. For all the truth against thy
holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod Pontius
Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered
together to do what? To do what they wanted to do,
that's right. To do what their wicked wills devised, that's
right. To do what the hatred of their hearts cried out against
him, did just right. But listen to the next verse.
To do whatsoever thy hands and thy counsel determined before
to be done. He was delivered by the foreknowledge
of God. The foreordination. They did
what God determined to be done. That's the cause of election.
Verse 2, back to our text, 1 Peter 1, we are elect according to
the four knowledges of God the Father. That's the cause. Alright, what's the means? Look
at the next line. Through sanctification of the
Spirit. Sanctification of the Spirit.
In other words, the means, the cause of our salvation is God's
purpose, God's will. God's grace, which he bestowed
upon us freely, sovereignly, but the means. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 13, Paul
says, We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. and belief of the truth. You
see, election is not salvation, it's untrue salvation. God chooses
to save men, but Christ saves them. And the Holy Spirit sets
them apart, quickens them, and reveals the gospel to them. And
they believe it. And thy people are made willing
in the day of thy power, in the day when the Spirit of God comes
upon them. Now that's the means. And that's what he says in the
next verse. Wait until he calls you by our gospel. He chose you. The Holy Spirit quickens you.
You heard the gospel. And God called you to the gospel. To the obtaining of the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then the end of our election. Now watch this. He talks about
these strangers in verse 1, verse 2, elect according to the foreordination,
the counsel and will of the Father through the powerful quickening,
awakening, sanctification of God's Holy Spirit unto obedience. Obedience. Obedience to Christ
and the sprinkling of the blood, obedience, justification, closing,
Redeemed, made a new creature in Christ, a new man, under obedience,
under faith, under the sprinkling of the blood. You see, election,
now watch this, do you remember a while ago I talked to you about
Christ was the Lamb slain for the foundation of the world?
And Ronnie read it. Election is not salvation. Any
more than Christ being chosen to be the Lamb before the foundation
of the world is sufficient for our salvation. Everybody in here
knows that Christ was chosen as the surety of the covenant,
as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Did
that save us? No, sir. Christ had to come into
this world, become a man, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh.
He had to be made of a woman. He had to be made under the law.
He had to be tempted and tried and tested in all points as we
are, as our representative, and obey the law, every jot and tittle.
He had to go to the cross. The Lamb was chosen to be slain,
but it had to be slain. You understand what I'm saying? And I'm chosen to be holy, but
God has to make me holy. I'm chosen to believe, but God
has to enable me to believe. I'm chosen to come to Christ,
but I have to come! Our soul. He was chosen to be the Lamb,
but He had to die. And we're chosen to be His people,
but His people have got to be made willing in the day of His
power. Do you understand what I'm saying? made willing, has to be justified,
cleansed by the blood, redeemed by Christ, sanctified by the
Spirit, brought to repentance, genuine repentance, brought to
faith, brought to love Christ more than life itself. That's right. And he says, grace
be unto you, grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. God elected us, the Holy Spirit
called us, granted us repentance and faith, brought us to obedience,
obedience to Christ, to the blood, to the cross, to Christ, and
the Holy Spirit multiplies grace, multiplies. We grow in grace
and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. He multiplies the peace.
That's what we're doing now, we're studying this word that
we may grow in grace in the knowledge of Christ. All right, verse 3, bless God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto living
hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Every
time one of the apostles talks about God's sovereign, electing,
regenerating, redeeming grace, he blesses God. He blesses God. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, one day he was speaking to the cities of Capernaum and
Bethsaida and others about their unbelief. And he stopped and
he said, he lifted his eyes to heaven and he said, I thank you,
Father. I thank you, Lord of heaven and
earth. You've heard these things, these
things of your love and mercy and grace and gospel and truth
and salvation. You've heard these things from
the wise and the prudent, from the intellectuals, from the folks
seeking the sign and wisdom. You've heard these things from
them. But you've revealed it to the babes." Listen, even so,
Father, it seemed good, and thus I thank you. Our Lord thanked
God that he chose the babes. Paul said, Bless God who chose
us in Christ and blessed us with all spiritual blessings. And
here Peter, bless God the Father, which according to his abundant
mercy, That's the cause again. Here's the cause of redemption,
here's abundant mercy. What does abundant mean? Plenty
of it. Plenty of it. It's abundant mercy. I like what
the old lady from Ireland, she's raised on a potato farm, never
been outside of her county. Her son got a good job, got a
little money and took his mama to the beach. All her life she
had skimped and saved and done without, never had enough of
anything. And she stood for the first time
in her life and looked out over the ocean. Vast, looked like
it was unlimited. She said, well, I'm glad to see
something there's plenty of. He said, Mama, that's just the
top of it. Most of it you can't even see.
And that's God's grace. You think you've seen His grace? You ain't seen nothing yet. The
highest never been told. That's what the Queen of Sheba
said. Thanks be unto God for His abundant grace, sufficient
grace, redeeming grace, keeping grace, glorifying grace. Plenty of it. Abundant. And according
to that abundant mercy, He hath begotten us. giving us new birth,
new life. He did it. Who did it? God did
it. Born of God. Born of the Word.
Born of the Spirit. Born of God. But you're born
not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, born
of God. According to His mercy. Not according
to what you did or I did. His mercy. He has begotten us
again. I was begotten once by my mother
and father. And I'm just like my father,
a sinner. But when my Father in Heaven,
according to His abundant mercy, begat me again, that new man,
that new nature is like my Heavenly Father. It's conformed to the
image of Christ. And He did it to a living hope.
It's a living hope. It's not based on dead works,
dead religion. It's from Him. who lives and
gives life, who said, because I live, you live, and proved
it by his resurrection. And the same power that raised
him from the dead shall also quicken these mortal bodies. To what? Verse 4, to an inheritance. Oh, my, the inheritance. I can't describe the glory and
majesty and beauty of our inheritance. Paul went to the third heaven,
he came back and he said, I heard things I can't tell you folks,
and no way a human being can put into words what I heard,
and no way a human being could hear it if I could. John said, behold, he makes all
things new. according to his abundant mercy,
hath begotten us again unto a living hope to an inheritance incorruptible."
Listen, incorruptible. Everything here changes. Everything here decays. Everything
here ages and dies. But that inheritance is incorruptible. It never changes, it never decays,
it never dies. It's undefiled. Everything here,
sin has touched it, defiled it. Everything we have, listen, do,
say, and are has been polluted and defiled by sin. We can't even pray without sin. No, you can't. And you're deceived if you think
you can. Every one of us pray selfishly. We don't pray for
others like we pray for ourselves. We don't pray for other people's
children like we pray for ours. Ain't no way you can do it. Isn't that right? That's a sin. That's a sin to
love yourself more than you love your brother. That's right. Everything we touch, everything
we are, everything we do, everything we say is sin and it is defiled. But bless your heart, someday
there will be no defilement. Sin will be done away. And it
fades not away. Everything on this earth finally
fades away. There, everything unchangeable,
immutable, eternal. It's going to be the same. You
know, you're looking at a fellow that doesn't like change. I proved
that by staying here 46 years. I don't like change. Don't like
change. And someday I'm going to have
that fulfilled. Nothing's going to change in
his presence. It's going to be the same. Reserved in heaven. Reserved
in heaven. Our Lord Jesus prepared the place
and prepared us for the place. And nothing can change this hope
or this inheritance. And it's reserved in heaven.
Now watch this. Let me teach you how to read
the Bible or anything else. It says, to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you. No, that's not the way that reads. There's a comma there.
That's not a period. It says this inheritance is reserved
for you who have kept nobody else. That's right. It's reserved for you. Who have
we been talking about? These strangers persecuted for
the gospel. These elect. These born-again
folks. These folks are the sons of God,
heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. This inheritance is reserved
for you who are kept. Who are kept? Kept by whom? By doing the best you can. Well,
I want to do the best I can, but that's not the way I'm kept.
I'm kept by the power of God. I'm kept by the same God who
chose me. I'm kept by the same God who
loved me. I'm kept by the same God who
called me. I'm kept by His power. I'm not holding His hand. He's
holding my hand. And He's not in my hands. I hear
people say, well, God's in your hands to do what you want to.
Christ said, they're in my Father's hands. And nobody can pluck them
out of His hands. And I'm confident of this, Paul
said, He that begins a good work in you, Now, what's this? Kept by the power of God, not
without faith, not whether I believe or not, not whether I look to
Christ or not, not whether I walk in the Spirit or not. We're saved through faith and
we're kept through faith. For by grace are you saved through
faith, never without it. Nobody will ever be saved who
doesn't hear the gospel, love the gospel, and believe the gospel.
And nobody will ever be kept who doesn't continue in the gospel. Somebody asked Old Brother Caldwell
one time, can a saved man be lost? He said, he can if he can.
I guess that's right, if he can. But our Lord said, I won't depart
from them and they won't depart from me. If you ever see him,
you're not going to turn to anybody else. If he ever lays hold of our hearts
and woos us, calls us to himself, you'll never leave. No. You'll
never leave. You're kept by the power of God. The power of God through faith. under salvation, and it's ready
to be revealed. It's already finished. Complete. It's finished, he cried. All
I need, everything God requires, everything the word demands,
everything the law requires, I'm complete in Christ. It's reserved. It's ready to
be revealed at the last time. Now look at verse 6, wherein
you greatly rejoice. Believers are happy people. I
don't mean they're happy all the time. We have our mountains
and we have our valleys. Like Paul said, I have great
sorrow, heaviness for my brethren according to the flesh. He talks
about weeping over people. We have times of weeping and
times of rejoicing, but God's people in spirit and heart are
happy people. They rejoice. He says here, wherein,
that is, because of all this that I've said, because of all
this, you greatly rejoice. You rejoice in his covenant of
grace, you rejoice in his elective grace, you rejoice in his precious
blood, you rejoice in his righteousness in which we're clothed, you rejoice
in the hope that we have laid up for us in heaven, we rejoice
in his keeping grace, we rejoice in his people, we rejoice in
his presence, in his prophetess, we rejoice in him. Our lives
generally, the ben of our will, the tenor of our lives are happiness,
we're happy. Though, listen, though now for
a season, if need be you're in heaviness
through many temptations, though on this earth The word temptations
here is trials. We're not talking about temptations
to rebel against God and temptations to walk in evil and sin and temptations
to embarrass the church and the
gospel. That's not what we're talking
about. We're talking about the trials that our Heavenly Father
has decreed for our good and His glory. That's what we're
talking about. This word, if need be, Whatever the need is
in God's purpose, you are in heaviness through many temptations. What are some of these trials?
Well, there's the trials of difficult
service. Places and people. Difficult
places of service. Some of our missionaries, they
go through some great trials on these in these other countries. And God sends these things. It's
ordained of the Father. And then there's the trials of
reproach for the gospel, even among your own friends and folks
you work with. You don't like to be despised
and hated for the gospel's sake, do you? And those trials of reproach
for the gospel's sake, they come. And then there's the trials of
Riches and poverty, success and failure. There's the trials of
disappointments. Disappointments in your friends
and in yourself and in your family and in your children. Disappointments. Like one man told me recently,
he said, what happens to my children happens to me. And then there's
a trial of sickness, there's a trial of pain, there's a trial
of Sorrow, there's a trial of suffering. Trials come and trials
go. Trials are sent by God. And when one trial is over, there's
another one down the road. There's another one down the
road, isn't there? Well, why are these trials sent our way?
Well, let me give you some reasons. In the next verse, verse 7, Verse
6, now he says, you rejoice. Christians, believers, are happy
people. But they have their times of heaviness and trials. Verse
7, that the trial of your faith. The trial of your faith. It's
faith that's being tried. Being more, much more precious
than a gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire. might
be found under the praise and honor and glory of the appearing
of Christ. Now be patient with me and listen carefully right
here. Gold is put in the fire by the owner to purge it of dross
and impurities. Gold is put in the fire by the
owner to prove the value of it, the genuineness of it, to increase
the beauty of it and the value of it. So your faith, much more
precious than gold. More precious to your father.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. He calls Christ precious. Under you the belief he's precious.
He calls the word precious. He calls faith precious. He calls
the death of the believer precious. He calls you precious. And that
gold is precious to the owner because of its value. But you're
precious to the Father because you belong to Christ. And he
puts you in the fire. And here's the reason. Faith
must be proved to be genuine. Abraham was told to take his
son and sacrifice him. And he did that because he believed
God. And God said, I know that you
love me. Well, God could all along. But
now Abraham knows it, doesn't he? And everybody else does. So faith is tried to prove the
genuineness of it. Secondly, faith is tried to strengthen
it, to strengthen it, to increase it. Trials don't produce faith. Here are two men, the same thing
happens to both of them. Here's a man I know who lost
his wife, and he killed himself. church member. I know another
man lost his wife and it made him stronger in Christ.
So this man's faith was proved to be false. This man's faith
was proved to be genuine. This man's faith was strengthened
by that trial and increased. And thirdly, faith is tried to
reveal the value of Christ to me. Nothing is better for me
than to find out how frail I am. There's nothing better for any
of us than to find out how frail, how fleeting are the things of
this world. How unimportant they really are.
And God sometimes lets us know how unimportant they are when
he takes them away. And how fleeting they are when
he removes them. And how frail they are when he
cripples them. Oh, I couldn't do without so-and-so.
Yes, you can. Yes, you can. You'll have to
someday. And when we find out that these
things are not essential, that he's the only essential one,
boy, we're getting somewhere now. That's what trial does. Then faith is tried to purge
it. Like I said, that goal was put
in there to purge the impurities, to make it more valuable, to
shine more brightly. And God takes us down to take
the pride out of us, the self-righteousness out of
us. He saves sinners. Bless the poor
in spirit. Bless the meek. Bless the peacemakers. Blessed are they that hunger
and thirst for righteousness. And these trials, Paul had a
trial. He said, God gave me a thorn
in the flesh. Why? Lest I be exalted above
nation. Because of the revelations that
God gave me, he sent me this trial to let me know, even with
revelations, I'm nothing. Isn't that right? Even with revelations, I'm nothing. I'm nothing. And that's the reason
God's... And if we're not trialed, if
we're not tried, we're not His. That vessel that God makes for
His honor, He's going to work with it. He's going to work with
it strongly. That it might be a
better vessel. But a vessel He's not going to
use? Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth.
You be without chastisement, you're not a son. You don't belong
to God. So he's got to purge this love
for the world. He's got to take it out of us.
So that, listen, so your faith, listen to the last line, I'll
quit. So that your faith, though it be tried with fire, might
be found unto praise, whose praise? His praise. Unto honor, whose
honor? His honor. Under glory, come
on now, whose glory? When Christ comes again, that it might be found under
the praise and the honor and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,
whom having not seen, we love, and whom now, though we see him
not, not with these eyes, I do with the spiritual eyes, yet
believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, receiving the end
of faith. the salvation of your soul. Our Father, it's your Word, and we're gathered here in your
presence. And the Word has been read and
preached. May all who are in this building
tonight receive it, not as the Word of men, but as the Word
of God, which it is. And thine is the glory, and thine
is the kingdom, and thine is the power, both now and forever.
And I pray you'd make this word effectual to our hearts. Strengthen our faith. Increase
our faith. Make our faith to be single.
Our heart to be single. Our hearts undivided. loving
Christ and Christ alone. In his name I pray. Amen.