An Awesome Power Part 4
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
1 Peter 1:10–12 (KJV 1900)
10 Of which salvation (which salvation? Look back to verse 9 - “the salvation of your souls.”) the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 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. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
We’ve been speaking a lot on salvation over the last several Bible studies and rightly so, because the book of 1 Peter has much to say about it.
I’m using a Thomas Nelson Bible tonight and it has book introductions. For the book of 1 Peter it says,
“Persecution can cause either growth or bitterness in the Christian life. Response determines the result. In writing to Jewish believers struggling in the midst of persecution, Peter encourages them to conduct themselves courageously for the Person and program of Christ. Having been born again into a living hope, they are to imitate the Holy One who has called them. The fruit of that character will be conduct rooted in submission: citizens to government, servants to masters, wives to husbands, husbands to wives, and Christians to one another. Only after submission is fully understood does Peter deal with the difficult area of suffering.”
With that in mind, let me share with you an outline of the entire book:
You can break the book into four sections...
I - A Message Depicting The Believer’s Salvation (Chapter 1)
II - A Message Describing The Believer’s Submission (Chapter 2-3:12)
III - A Message Discussing The Believer’s Suffering (Chapter 3:13-4:19)
IV - A Message Demonstrating The Believer’s Service (Chapter 5:1-14)
You can see why we’ve been speaking about salvation so much in chapter 1; it’s because salvation is the foundation for our lives. Our lives really don’t begin until we are saved! And it’s only when we realize what we have in Christ, we can move on and mature and face the trials and tribulation of life with the proper outcomes.
As a believer, we are to imitate Christ. We are to grow in His grace and in a knowledge of Him. Every day is to be a maturing process as we are challenged to become like Him.
It’s important to understand that we are not able identify with Christ in His perfection or power, but we are privileged to identify with Him in our trials.
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at our verses tonight:
1-The Search of the Prophets
1-The Search of the Prophets
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Peter points the believers back to the Old Testament prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah and the salvation that He would provide. They didn’t understand it fully, but they proclaimed what was revealed to them faithfully.
Many waited for centuries for the promised Messiah. What great faith they possessed in order to believe in something that was yet to happen. We have an advantage because we can put our faith in that which has already come to pass in the Person of Jesus Christ.
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
These Old Testament prophets had a message from God for the people of their day, but they also had a message from God for the people of a coming day.
1 Peter 1:10 tells us that these men inquired and searched diligently into knowing more about the salvation that was to come, especially the grace that should come.
They enquired and investigated the matter. These men of God were puzzled to understand this gospel of grace which seemed to make their religion of good works and sin offerings outdated.
They “searched diligently” which is a phrase from the Greek word meaning “to search out anxiously and diligently.” It is the same word that was used to describe a dog sniffing out something with its nose.
Andrew Whitman wrote, “The prophets were people of perspiration and inspiration! Having received God’s word, they didn’t sit back and leave it for a future generation to ‘dig into.’ They studied it.”
It’s shameful it is for us to think that multitudes believed the promises of God simply because God stated them, and yet we can read the historical record of God’s faithfulness and doubt His Word.
In our faithless skepticism we think that God will somehow let us down.
Today we have the full revelation, but I wonder how many of us diligently search the scriptures to find out more about this great salvation? I wonder how caught up are we with salvation that they longed to know about? Do we take for granted this great salvation?
Warren Wiersbe writes, “If the Old Testament prophets searched so diligently into the truths of salvation, and yet had so little to go on, how much more ought we to search into this subject, now that we have a complete word from God!”
2-The Sufferings of the Saviour
2-The Sufferings of the Saviour
11 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.
Peter tells the believers that the Old Testament prophets searched diligently about
• the what of salvation,
• the when of salvation,
• the Who of salvation,
• and the work of salvation!
Peter tells about the means of the prophet’s preaching.
John Phillips wrote, “The expression “the Spirit of Christ” is important. It may refer to Christ’s own Spirit, or else to the Holy Spirit. The expression bears silent witness to the deity of Christ and the preexistence of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God.”
Peter lets us know that the Spirit of Christ was active in announcing the coming of Christ. He has been and will always be. There has never been a time that the Lord Jesus didn’t exist. He is God and His Spirit spoke to His prophets.
Before He was here He was there!
The Spirit of Christ testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ...
Nothing that we endure in our trials can compare with the suffering of Christ on our behalf.
When we are tempted to complain about our trials, we need to take a trip back to Golgotha.
Listen to what one of these old prophets who inquired and searched diligently and wrote being inspired by the Spirit of Christ in them about the sufferings of Christ:
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not;
And in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee:
They trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered:
They trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn:
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him:
Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb:
Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb:
Thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me:
Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths,
As a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint:
My heart is like wax;
It is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd;
And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
And thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me:
The assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones:
They look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them,
And cast lots upon my vesture.
Yes, my friends, when you start to complain about what you’re going through, take a trip to Golgotha...
3-The Service of the Saints
3-The Service of the Saints
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
It was revealed to the prophets that they were not serving themselves in delivering God’s message, but they were serving the people that were the recipients of God’s message.
These men preached the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit who was sent from Heaven.
This ministry of sharing the Gospel is so wonderful, that the angels of Heaven crave to watch the ministry of the Word of God in people’s lives.
Even today, the ministries of pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, benefit the people that are recipients of the preaching of God’s Word if they will receive it and apply it.
God wants us all to have some sort of ministry with people, whether it is our family, our neighbors, the kids at school, or the people we work with day by day. We are all to serve the Lord in some way.
But it goes even further than this...
Are we willing to partner with Christ in area of suffering? Are we willing to bear the cross that the Lord places upon us?
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
We want a crown one day but we are unwilling to bear the cross of suffering.
We want easy lives here and still be rewarded at the judgment.
It doesn’t work that way; it can’t work that way. We have nothing in which to glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God has given us an amazing salvation and also an awesome power!
I didn’t want to bog down on this, but the last part of verse 12 is interesting to me.
1 Peter 1:12 (KJV 1900)
12 ...which things the angels desire to look into.
The angels watch us and what we do. They watch our worship, our work, and our witness, they see how we react to suffering in trials...
Do we confuse the angels by our profession and our practice?
Do we say one thing and do another?
Not only the angels, but what about the world around us...