This Amazing Salvation Part 3
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We are back tonight, continuing the thought of “This Amazing Salvation” - This is the third week we have been here unpacking the wonderful truths of God’s Word.
So far, in this series, we have looked at “A Provided Salvation” - How that God was under no obligation to give us salvation, but because He loved us, He has provided a way for us to be redeemed! We would have never loved God or desired a relationship with Him if He hadn’t first loved us!
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Last week, we looked at “A Prompted Salvation” - How that in order to understand the richness of God’s love, we first must understand just how much He hates sin! Remember, the positive is so positive, because the negative is so negative!
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Tonight’s subject, in this four-part series on “This Amazing Salvation” is:
III-A Permanent Salvation
III-A Permanent Salvation
Verse 4 in our text is a continuation of verse 3…Last week, we were in verse 3, and notice with me…We are being told what God the Father has begotten us…That is to say, what He has brought about..He’s brought about a lively hope according to verse 3, but then let’s read verse 4 and find out what else He has brought about to us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
It has been well said, “If you have everything, but do not have Jesus then you have nothing. If you have nothing, but have Jesus then you have everything.”
That is so true!
In a materialistic world that prides itself in possessions and pleasures and power Christian’s are called to remember that we have what the world cannot give in salvation and we are to be satisfied in Jesus. We must remind one another who we are in Christ and what we have in Christ.
Everything here on earth is temporary…it will fade away.
According to the Bible, one day, everything that we now can see or touch will burn up!
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
I love what an old preacher once said: “My wife and I determined a long time ago that we would not live for an ashtray.”
That’s some good advice right there!
The things of this world are passing away, they will not last, but God has provided a possession that is permanent!
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
We have been given “A Permanent Salvation”!
I want you to notice a couple things from verse 4 tonight:
I-The Resilience
I-The Resilience
1 Peter 1:4 (KJV 1900)
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled...
This amazing salvation is resilient against all enemies!
Because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ the saints have a living hope and we have an inheritance in heaven. When describing the saint’s inheritance Peter couldn’t tell what it was so he told what it was not. Peter didn’t have the vocabulary to describe what our inheritance is so he described what it is not.
Incorruptible: undecaying (in essence or continuance) not corruptible, immortal, imperishable. This word means “unravaged by any invading army.”
This word refers to what is not corruptible, not liable to death, or not subject to destruction.
Notice, verse 4 again, the inheritance isn’t only incorruptible, but the inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled.
Undefiled: unsoiled, pure. This word describes something that is unstained or unpolluted.
John Phillips wrote, “He (Peter) tells us that our inheritance is incapable of decay, incapable of defilement, and incapable of default.”
The inheritance cannot be defiled by sinful men, cannot be taken by thieves, and cannot be corroded by time.
Louis Barbieri said, “The Christian’s inheritance is subject neither to external defilement nor to internal corruption.” Our inheritance is perfect! There are no flaws in it and no corruption can touch it. It is not man made therefore it cannot fail! Man made products falter and fade!
Several years ago one of the astronauts who walked on the moon was interviewed and asked, “What did you think about as you stood on the moon and looked back at the earth?” The astronaut replied, “I remembered how the spacecraft was built by the lowest bidder.”
As Christians we can rejoice that the work of salvation did not go to the “lowest bidder” but was performed by an infinite God.
There will never be a deficiency in his work. Our salvation is as sure as the Architect of that salvation, Almighty God.
Our inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled.
Nothing or no one can contaminate or defile our inheritance.
I’m thankful that as a child of God, I am safe and secure in my Father’s everlasting arms...
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
It’s important to hide God’s Word in our hearts so that during tough times, we can be comforted by Scripture and not sin against God.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thank God that we have an inheritance that cannot be taken away by anything or anyone!
The next thing we see in verse 4 is:
II-Reservation
II-Reservation
1 Peter 1:4 (KJV 1900)
4 ...and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Your inheritance is reserved for all eternity...
As I mentioned earlier in the introduction, everything we deal with here on earth is temporary.
The saying “nothing lasts forever” is true of all material things, but our God is eternal and thus His provision for us is also eternal!
2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
As believers in Jesus Christ we have the promise of God concerning salvation.
Peter tells the church that they have a perfect inheritance and a permanent inheritance. It is impossible for the child of God’s inheritance to be defiled or decayed. It is impossible for the inheritance to be spent, lost, or taken away. It is permanent! Peter says, “…and fadeth not away...”
This means it is unfading...This word was used in secular Greek writings that described a flower that did not wither or die. The words that Peter used in the original Greek emphasized the permanence and unchangeableness of the inheritance.
John MacArthur said, “The term in this context suggest that believers have an inheritance that will never lose its magnificence. None of the decaying elements of the world can affect the kingdom of heaven. None of the ravages of time or the evils of sin can touch the believer’s inheritance because it is in a timeless, sinless realm.”
We have God’s word on the permanence of our salvation. Christians are saved and secured in Christ. Our salvation and inheritance does not fade away!
In 1 Peter 1:4, Peter is expounding on the security of our salvation.
The security of our salvation is found in the word “reserved.”
The word means “to guard, watch over, to keep, to observe, to protect, to reserve, or to set aside.”
The word is a perfect passive participle in the Greek language which refers to the inheritance that is already in heaven being guarded. The word speaks of a past completed action which has present results.
Kenneth Wuest wrote, “Heaven is the safe-deposit box where God is guarding our inheritance for us under constant surveillance.” Our inheritance is reserved by the Lord and preserved by the Lord.
Conclusion
Conclusion
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
This Amazing Salvation that God has provided for us is a permanent salvation!
I’m thankful that no matter what, it will not corrupt, it will not fade away!
To the saints that would be facing trails, tough times, financial and physical hardships, Peter tells them that they have an inheritance reserved in heaven.
Heaven is a place:
• where no thief can get to it,
• where no rust can corrode it,
• where no army can capture it,
• where no law can confiscate it,
• where no sinner can taint it.
If you do not have a possession in heaven you can today by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ to save you! God calls for us to turn from our sins and turn to Jesus for salvation.