Appreciation of our Salvation

A group of elderly cultured gentlemen often met to exchange wisdom and drink tea. Each host tried to find the finest and most expensive and exotic blends of tea that would arouse the admiration of his guest. When the wisest, wealthiest, and most respected gentleman entertained the group, he served his tea with unprecedented ceremony, he would measure the leaves from a golden box and with a golden spoon. All who attended praised him for his most exquisite tea. He then smiled and said, “The tea you have found so delightful is the same tea our peasants drink.”

I am afraid that we often overlook the things right in front of our faces. The very thing that all of our hope and joy is based. That is our great salvation. A salvation that needs no ceremonies, is free to us, and is given to all who ask for it!

The last two weeks we have talked about having hope and joy during life’s trials and today I want to tell you that when we have appreciation for our salvation, we will find ourselves continually hopeful and joyful.

Do we truly appreciate our Salvation? I think it has become so common to us that our gratitude for being saved has diminished. Perhaps it is because we haven't suffered in this country on account of it. The 1st Century Christian suffered unimaginably for their Salvation and in our text we see Peter encouraging the flock to appreciate their salvation!

CPS: We need increased appreciation for the great salvation we enjoy in Jesus because the spiritual blessings we now experience are greater than anything the Old Testament prophets ever experienced or even the angels ever imaged.

I. We have experienced the Grace that the Prophets longed to see. (10-12a)

A. O.T. Experiences

If you wee to read the Old Testament you would find men who experienced the Lord first hand. You would read about the exodus (moses the Prophet and their deliverance from Eygpt) , you read about Isaiah who saw the Lord sitting on a throne (Is. 6), you would read about David delivered from Saul and all his enemies! Time does not allow to speak of all the wonderful things the saints of old experienced. Heb. 11:32-40. YET GOD HAS PROVIDED SOMETHING BETTER FOR US! (The Grace that is Christ Jesus)

B. They longed to experience the GRACE of God but didn't

1. Their Prophecies

The Prophets moved by the Holy Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21) Prophesied of the Grace that would come into this world! (Prophesied (verb) prophēteuō = speak inspired utterances) They predicted the sufferings of Jesus and the glories to follow. Psalm 22 :1,16-18,27-28, 31) (900 B.C.) Is. 53 (700 B.C.) They were given a glimpse of the Promised Messiah who would come and bring forgiveness of sin and deliver them once and for all. Though they spoke and wrote about these things they didn't fully understand and desired greatly to see this day.

2. Their Longing

Three verbs are used to describe how greatly they longed to see this day. Inquired (ekzēteō) = seek diligently, pursue earnestly (NASB Made careful searches). Searched diligently (exeraunaō) seek diligently, search intently, inquire carefully. Searching (eraunaō) try to learn, search, try to find out (NASB Seeking to know). They search high and low, they asked God, and searched the Scriptures available to them.)

a. The Person (WHO)

b. The time (WHEN)

3. Their Denial

But God revealed (disclosed/made clear) that they would not see it. Notice: would come to you (v. 10), to you (2x)(v. 12). Mat. 13:17

C. We have experienced the GRACE of God.

We have recieved what the great and faithful prophets, those who wrote much of the O.T. longed for..... Grace! Unmerited Favor, God gave us what we do not deserve.

Their Salvation (They were looking forward to it, not sure who, when, or even how it would come about. Theirs was by the blood of bulls and goats and applied year by year. Theirs was a picture of what was to come)

Our Salvation (The N.T. saint) [original audience and us] Can look back at Calvary and know that “It is Finished.” Through Gospel Message God has given us the full revelation! Luke 24:25-27.

The Prophets discovered that Christ would suffer and then glory would follow. The pattern of life is the same for us, suffering then glory. Our sufferings are not a sign that Jesus has abandoned us, or He is no longer concerned with us, or that He is no longer on His throne. But, its a sign of our fellowship with the resurrected Lord, who first suffered for us!

Have appreciation for your Salvation, it is so great that the Prophets longed to see it!

II. We have experienced the Grace that the angels longed to understand.

The Prophets strongly desired to see The Lord Jesus Christ, sent from God to save us from our sins and the angels in heaven long to look into our salvation and to truly understand it. The angels are fascinated with our salvation. The have a desire to understand it. Desire (long NASB) (verb) - epithymeō (desire greatly, long for). Look into: (parakyptō)(verb) = desire to learn. its the idea of stooping down in order to carefully observe. Its the same word used in John 20:5 as John and Peter ran to the tomb of Jesus, John stopped at the door but Peter “stooping in, he saw the linen wrappings lying” where Jesus was laid. Can you imagine how intensely and intently he must have peered into the darkness of the tomb as he tried to understand what he saw. That’s the way the angels gaze upon our salvation.

A. The Angels at Creation

Angels are majestic beings created by God and are involved in what God does in this world. When God created the universe they sang praises to God. Job 38:4-7.

B. The Angels at the Fall

But their song was silenced when sin entered into the world and in the Garden of Eden. I imagine the angels watch as they awaited the sure judgement of God. I can imagine God calling a meeting in the hallways of eternity and saying my creation is ruined, “what shall I do?” The angels saying “Holy Father they must be judged.” But then God said, “No, they must be redeemed!”

C. The Angels at Redemption.

1. In the Garden

Then they began to wonder, how can a holy God punish sin and still redeem mankind.” That’s when the unfolding drama of redemption begins. God said to Eve, I will place enmity between your seed and Satan’s seed, Satan will bruise your Seed’s heel but your Seed shall crush His head.” Then God made atonement for their sin, Gen 3:21, covering their sin.

2. By the Law

Many years later God instituted the sacrificial system and rivers of blood was spilt in order to cover man’s sin from God.

3. The Messiah

a. His Birth

But then at the fullness of time God summoned the angel Gabriel and sent him to the virgin Mary, saying “go tell her that she is to give birth to Messiah and He will be given the throne of David and His kingdom will have no end.”(Luke. 1:32-33). Then for 9 months the angels tuned up their harps and practice their Alleluia chords. For they were about to sing again! “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace and good will towards men!”

b. His life

They stood in astonishment as God became man and walked on the face of the earth, experiencing humanity. All the things we experience today. Pain, thrust, hunger, temptation, tiredness, sickness etc..

c. His death

They watch as Jesus was arrested, His trials, and mocking. They watch as His back was ripped open, His beard ripped from His face, the crown of thorns placed on His brown. They watched Him carry His cross to Calvary and they watch with righteous indignation and they nailed Jesus to the cross. I can imagine them, in that instance they unsheathed their swords and stood ready to go to the Son of God. (Matt. 26:53)

ILL: Ray Overholt once said, “ He could have called ten thousand angels To destroy the would and set Him free. He could have called ten thousand angels, But He died alone, for you and me.”

But they put their swords in their sheath when Jesus hung His head and said, It is finished!”

Then for three days they mourned the death of the Son of God.

d. His Resurrection

God called an angel and told him to go to the tomb, the earth quaked and the stone was rolled away, their that angel sat on the stone waiting for ladies to come, their he announces the greatest news in time and eternity, “He is not here but He has risen.”

e. His ascension

40 days later Jesus ascended back to heaven and two angels told the disciples that “He will come again in the same manner.”

f. today

They are looking into this worship service examining our worship as God is in attendance with them. I wonder what they would say to us if we could have a moment. Is God really pleased?

D. The Angels Experience

The angels are privileged to see and know what God is doing. Their desire to understand the Grace of God in our Salvation, is understandable, because it is a bewildering great salvation… but its more than that. Its because the Angels cannot experience it. “WHICH ANGELS DESIRE TO LOOK INTO.” (Vs. 12)

ILL: Holy, holy, is what the angels sing, And I expect to help them make the courts of heaven ring: But when I sing redemption’s story, they will fold their wings, For angels never felt the joys that our Salvation brings.”

Adrian Roger’s once said, “I had rather be a saved sinner than an innocent angel.”

CON: We should have a great appreciation for our salvation because we have a great salvation that the Prophets longed to see and the angels long to understand.