The Wonder of Prophets and Angels. (1 Peter 1:10-12)

Opening:

Introduction of the Passage:

Good morning again! Last time I was here, I preached through 1 Peter 1:1-9. If you were here for that or recall that message, we heard the Apostle Peter write about the glorious hope we have in salvation. It is the mercy of God that grants us salvation. And that salvation is a new birth. We were brought from death to life by the power of the Spirit, through the blood of Christ, according to the plan of the Father. And God has given us an inheritance that will never fade or spoil. We saw that even though we will suffer in this life, we have that promised hope that nothing can ever shake. Christ is our all in all. He is our Lord, our King, our Savior, our Hope, our Salvation, and so much more. The Apostle went into great detail about the absolutely wonderful salvation we have been given.

This morning we will be picking up in the very next verses. We will be in 1 Peter 1:10-12. If you have the pew Bible, I believe it is on page 1887. As you turn there, just a reminder on some of the background of this letter. The Apostle Peter wrote this letter to the Christians who were dispersed throughout the Roman empire who were suffering persecution. This letter was likely for a Jewish and Gentile audience. It was intended for the Church as a whole. You see, the church as a whole was about to go into one of, if not the worst persecutions in Church history. Peter is writing this letter to encourage Christians as they face persecution.

He is wanting them to hold fast to this hope of the gospel because hard times are coming. In essence Peter is saying in this letter, “Look at the wonder of the hope we have in Christ! And do not be discouraged by the trials of life. Live in light of the gospel.”

So let’s read this passage. In order to keep it in context, let’s back up and read from verse one. So we will read 1 Peter 1:1-12 but I will be focusing on verses 10-12.

Reading of the Passage:

Would you stand with me for the reading of God’s Word if you are able.

1 Peter 1:1-12

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Behold, the Word of God. Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you would bless this time in Your Word this morning. We know that it is a precious time to open the Scriptures on the Lord’s Day. Be with us today. Speak to us through Your Word. Open our minds to hear and learn what you say. Open our hearts to accept these Words and live by them. Be with our hands and feet as we put them into practice. Bless this, Your church Lord. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

Need:

There is a great need in Christians for awe and wonder when it comes to the gospel. When we think of what Christ has done for us, it must stir in our hearts. It must change how we think and act and live. And even more so when we zoom out just a little bit and see the scope of God’s plan of redemption. From before time began, God set this plan in motion. Every page of Scripture is dripping with the blood of Christ. And when we see that and take in the majesty of it, we will seek to wring out every page for the glory within.

Text Idea:

In this text, the Apostle Peter is saying that the Prophets prophesied the death and glory of Christ by the Spirit, and the Apostles and preachers of the gospel declare Him by the Spirit, which causes angels to longing look into these things being fulfilled.

And this is an awe inspiring thought. Peter is saying that the Prophets were serving us by prophesying of the coming redemption by the Spirit. The preachers preach by the Spirit the same gospel that has now been fulfilled. And this mystery causes the heavenly host to longingly gaze into the beauty of the gospel.

Sermon Idea:

I hope today that you walk away today seeing the marvel that the prophets prophesied the gospel by the Spirit, that the preachers preach the gospel by the Spirit, and that this is so wonderful that it caused the prophets and the angelic host to wonder at this. So let us dive into the text and see the incredible nature of the Scriptures and the presentation of the Gospel.

Transition:

First, we see that the prophets prophesied the gospel by the Spirit.

Point 1: The Prophets Prophesied the Gospel by the Spirit.

1 Peter 1:10-12 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

Explanation:

The Old Testament is filled with Messianic prophesies. Whether we are thinking of Isaiah writing Isaiah 53, or David penning the words of Psalm 22, we can see that the Old Testament is filled with prophesies of the coming Messiah. Think of all of Daniel’s prophesies, or God’s covenant with Abraham. Think even of the Old Testament types and shadows. Noah and ark, Moses leading the people to salvation, David the king, all the priests, all the prophets, all the judges, and many more point directly to Christ. There is some disagreement among scholars but there is mostly a consensus that there are over three hundred messianic prophesies in the Old Testament. All of these point to Christ and are ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

So with this in mind, Peter’s statements begin to make more sense. And especially when you consider what the prophets did. The first thing Peter tells us that they did is that the prophets searched diligently the time these things would take place.

Sub Point 1: The Prophets searched diligently the time these things would take place.

And that phrasing “searched diligently” is really amazing. I love how one commentator put it. “The manner of their enquiry: they enquired and searched diligently. The words are strong and emphatic, alluding to miners, who dig to the bottom, and break through not only the earth, but the rock, to come to the ore...” Think of Daniel receiving the vision of the coming Messiah. He is given a vision of Christ, the Son of Man, being given dominion over all peoples, nations, and languages in Daniel 7:13-14. And listen to his words right after this. Daniel 7:15-16 “15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this...” Sounds exactly like what Peter is saying. Daniel is confused by all these prophesies. In fact, later in the book in another prophesy, Daniel asks about when all these things will take place.

Peter is telling the church that all the prophets that were given these prophesies about Christ would go and search their own prophesies. They would go back to the Word of God that the Spirit of God inspired them to write and study it intently for greater clarity. And this brings us to the second thing we see in this part of the text. The prophets prophesies through the Spirit of Christ.

Sub Point 2: The Prophets Prophesied through the Spirit of Christ.

This is such an interesting phrase. In short, this is just another way of referring to the Holy Spirit. But the reason Peter uses this particular name of the Holy Spirit is to highlight that Christ and the Holy Spirit are working together in this revelation. The Holy Spirit is inspiring the prophesies about Christ.

But this is also central because it reveals to us the nature of Scripture. The prophets did not just make these things up. They did not just write as men. They wrote as men under the inspiration of God. In fact, Peter will clarify this in his second letter. Listen to this, 2 Peter 1:20-21 “20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

What a wonderful truth! All scripture, written down by prophets of God, is not just the words of men. But they are words directly inspired by God Himself. Paul in his letters to Timothy uses a very important word. He says Scripture is “Theopneustos.” That means it is breathed out by God. Paul is saying that the Scriptures are to be seen as the breath of God. They hold the same authority as if God spoke verbally.

And if that is not is enough to inspire utter awe and amazement, we come to one of the more shocking statements in this passage. Peter says that the prophets served the church rather than themselves in this.

Sub Point 3: The Prophets served the Church rather than themselves.

I mean think of what this means for the church. The prophets were not just serving themselves or their own generation by writing of the Messiah’s death and resurrection and glory. No, in the divine, sovereign plan of God, God gave the words to the prophets for the Church! They were serving the Church. The Old Testament belongs to the Church. It is ours!

Argumentation:

And this first section of this text has so many wonderful implications. I mean just think what all of this implies? First, it means that it has always been the same gospel message.

Implication 1: It has always been the same gospel. (God has never had a plan B)

if we are not careful, we can think God has had multiple plans of redemption. But that is just not true! The consistent testimony of Scripture is that all those who are saved are saved by Christ. In the Old Covenant they were saved by faith in coming Savior. In the New Covenant we are saved by faith in the Savior who has come. Christ is the Mediator and Redeemer of all time. He is THE Savior, not just a savior.

Our own Heidelberg Catechism says this when speaking of our redemption,

“19. Whence knowest thou this? (That Christ is our Mediator and Redeemer)

From the holy gospel, which God Himself first revealed in Paradise; and afterwards published by the patriarchs and prophets, and represented by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; and lastly, has fulfilled it by His only begotten Son.”

God has no plan B. All of Scripture is about Christ. All salvation is in Christ. There is no other way. We are saved by Christ alone.

The second implication of this is that ALL Scripture is profitable for us.

Implication 2: All Scripture is Profitable for us. (We do not unhitch from the Old Testament.

It’s almost like I read that in Timothy somewhere. All Scripture. Not just the New Testament. There is a growing movement in the Church to “Unhitch” from the Old Testament. Many churches and denominations are distancing themselves from the Old Testament. This is a tragic mistake! All of Scripture is ours and teaches us, trains us, corrects us. It is a foolish mistake to throw out almost two thirds of the Bible.

Transition:

And as we continue on in this text, we see the beauty of the gospel contained in all of Scripture grow!

We saw how the prophets prophesied by the Spirit, but this is not all. The second point of this passage is the preachers preached by the Spirit.

Point 2: The Preachers Preached by the Spirit.

12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

Explanation:

In a book on the Messianic prophesies, one author put it this way. “The Word that is written makes known Christ the living Word. The Word that is preached makes known both the living and the written Word.” What a great summary. When the prophets were writing the Word of God under the inspiration of the Spirit, they were making known the living Word, Christ. When preachers preach the Word of God, they are making known the Word of God and the living Word, Christ. This is exactly what Peter is saying. Preachers preaching the Word of God by the Spirit are working in tandem with the prophets in making Christ known by the Word of God.

You see, the Old Testament prophets had to delve into the mines of their own prophesies and work to understand them. It was yet to be revealed. But what Peter is saying is that it has now been revealed. The Church now has the gospel in it’s fulness.

Sub Point 1: The Church now has the gospel in It’s fulness.

What Peter is saying here in a sentence is the central point of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul summarizes this in Ephesians 3:4-5 “4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” Praise God! The mystery is revealed! No longer is salvation a mysterious thing. We know the Savior! We see the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophesies. We have seen them come to pass! Blessed are the eyes that see these things in their fulness.

Jesus even makes this point. Matt 13:16-17 “16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” What a blessing. The Old Testament saints awaited the coming of Christ. But Christ has come! And this flows into the second noticeable thing in this verse. Peter says the preaching of gospel is by the Holy Spirit.

Sub Point 2: The Preaching of the Gospel is by the Holy Spirit.

What an encouraging thought. When a preacher stands up to faithfully preach the Word of God, it is not his own power that does anything. It is always by the power of the Spirit of God. Peter says that when the church heard Christ preached, it was the by the power of the same Spirit that carried the prophets to prophesy Christ. This is so wonderful. The Spirit of God prophesied Christ through the prophets, and the Spirit of God declares Christ through the preacher. “The Word that is preached makes known both the living and the written Word.” And this is what Peter is saying. When the apostles and preachers brought the Word of God to the people who originally read this letter, it was not the mere word of man. It was the Word of God and the Holy Spirit regenerated the hearts of these men and women and children.

Argumentation:

And think of what this one verse means!

Implication 1: The fulness of the mystery of the gospel ought to inspire us to marvel. (We see what the prophets longed to see.)

I mean, think back to Jesus’ words saying how the Old Testament saints longed to see these things fulfilled. How can our blessed state not inspire awe in us? We are living on the completed side of the work of salvation. We are no longer wondering when or how salvation will come. Salvation has come. And that salvation is in the FINISHED work of Jesus Christ. This is cause for rejoicing.

And think of this..

Implication 2: Knowing that the preaching of Scripture is by the Holy Spirit ought to embolden me as your pastor.

As a pastor, there is so much comfort in knowing it is not my power that changes hearts. My job is to be faithful to the text. I honestly cannot express how much peach and comfort this gives to me. I can lean my full weight onto the Word of God and trust God to do the rest. This gives me boldness and peace. My goal as your pastor is to stick to the Word of God. If you are encouraged, I want it to be the Word that encourages you. If you are convicted, I want it to be the Word that convicts you. If you are angered, I want it to be the Word that angers you. If you are comforted, I want it to be the Word that comforts you. My only goal is to be faithful. I want to be faithful to Christ my King and His Word. That is it. And as I attempt to be faithful in the preaching of the Word, I can be bold and at peace Because it is not me who changes hearts. That is all the Spirit of Christ. This makes me jolly and brave.

Also...

Implication 3: Knowing that the proclamation of the Gospel is by the Holy Spirit ought to embolden you in the sharing of the gospel.

Do you ever feel awkward about sharing the gospel? Like so many, do you stumble to find the right times or even the right words to say? I think this is extremely common. It is becoming more and more common the more hostile our culture gets to the gospel. And while there are numerous resources I could give you to aid you in sharing the gospel, there is one comfort here in this text that outweighs all those good resources. What is this comfort? The proclamation of the gospel and the salvation of souls is always done by the power of the Spirit of Christ. The weight of the salvation of souls is not on your shoulders.

Let me put it this way. You can’t save anyone. You will never keep a single person from the fires of hell, no matter how hard you try. And you might say, “Oh pastor Jonathan, that is so discouraging!” No it is not! You can’t save anyone! Praise God! I cannot save anyone! Praise God! You and I cannot save anyone because we ourselves need saving. We are no saviors. I pity the person who would look to someone as broken and sinful as me for salvation. If you are here and you have never trusted in Christ for salvation, I beg you, do not look to me to save you. Do not trust in the faith of your parents or family. Do not look to yourself or your own “good” works. There is only one savior, Jesus Christ. He died in our place. He bore the punishment for our sins in our place. And be confessing your sins, and trusting in Him as Lord and God, you will be saved. There is only one savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

No, we cannot save anyone because only God can save. This means that the only hope for salvation rests entirely on God ALONE. But here is the mystery of mysteries. God could choose whatever means He wanted to save souls. But He has chosen to use us! He ordains salvation and the means of salvation. And the means that the Holy Spirit uses the church as His earthly tool to bring dead men to life in Christ . That’s you and I! God uses us. When we share the gospel, the weight of the result is not on us. Our job is to be faithful. God will use that faithfulness however He wants. Isn’t that freeing? That takes such a weight off our shoulders. Be faithful, trust God, and rejoice. We are not saviors, we are sign posts pointing to the savior.

Transition:

And Peter gives an absolutely incredible closing statement to these verses.

Point 3: The Angels Long to Look Into These Things.

12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Explanation:

So we see the prophets prophesied about Christ. The preachers preach Christ. And in this we see the fulfilment of all of God’s design. The Kingdom of God expands. Souls are brought from spiritual death to life. The perfect sovereign plan of redemption wrought by God before time began unfolds. And as this unfolds, the heavenly host leans in and marvels in utter wonder.

Sub Point 1: The Heavenly Host wonders at the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption.

I cannot begin to understand this. This baffles my mind. We don’t know a lot about the angelic beings, but what we know often causes us to be in awe. They are described in absolutely astonishing ways in Scripture. Ezekiel sees giant wheels covered in eyes larger than we could fathom. Isaiah describes the Seraphim which literally means “Flaming ones” as flying around the throne of God with six wings covering their faces and feet and crying day and night “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty!” John describes the living creatures as terrifying beasts covered in eyes and six wings joining in the cry of worship. Daniel describes the watchers as heavenly rulers and authorities. Job describes the heavenly council of angelic and spiritual beings. And on and on with awe inspiring descriptions. What could possibly put beings like this in awe?

Peter says that these beings are in awe and wonder at the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption. Paul says something similar in Eph 3:8-10. And it is not just that they are in awe of this. They lean in. The exact language is they long to look into it. They long to see it closely. As the gospel is preached and shared, they with joy and eagerness lean in closer. Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7 that heaven rejoices at the salvation of souls. They rejoice at the expanse of the Kingdom of God.

Argumentation:

It is as if these heavenly hosts are rejoicing and celebrating crying out, “Look! Look! God’s plan is unfolding! Look! The prophesies are coming true! Look! People are being saved! Praise God! He is Holy, holy, holy! The whole Earth is full of His glory! His divine plan is unfolding perfectly!” These beings are not omniscient. They do not see all things. They are bound by limitations. So as they see the fulfilment of the prophesies and the expanse of the kingdom, they rejoice and are put in utter awe and shock and wonder. And the fact that these incredible beings are placed in wonder at this ought to cause us to the same exact reaction.

Implication 1: The awe and wonder of angels at the Gospel ought to inspire the same sense of awe and wonder in us.

Our reaction ought to be, “Wow, the angels and heavenly host are in wonder at the gospel, I should be all the more in wonder at this.” If the heavenly host react to the expanse of the Kingdom in this way, how could we be anything but amazed by it?

Transition:

I am honestly astounded by the shear awe these three verses contain.

Conclusion:

I mean, the depth here is astounding. The Old Testament prophets spoke of the grace that was coming to us. they prophesied the sufferings and glories of Christ. They themselves were placed in a state of wonder at this. They would go back to the Scriptures and search them to better understand the mystery of the gospel. And this same gospel which came and was fulfilled in Christ was preached by the Apostles and is still preached by the faithful preachers of God’s Word. And all of this is done by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Visualization:

I really hope this puts you in a place of awe. I hope that when you leave here today, you leave joining the prophets and the angels in wonder at what God has done.

Reiteration:

The Prophets prophesied the death and glory of Christ by the Spirit, and the Apostles and preachers of the gospel declare Him by the Spirit, which causes angels to ecstatically look into these things being fulfilled.

Application:

My prayer is that this changes how you look at your salvation. I pray this changes you. There are three things I really want you to walk away with.

Action 1: Be Amazed By Your Salvation.

In a sense, I want you feel amazed by your salvation every time we gather on the Lord’s Day for worship. But especially this morning. When you read this text and see how the prophets prophesied of the coming salvation you now have, I pray you feel amazed. When you think about your salvation, I pray it is always followed by the utter sense of awe that God would be so kind and so gracious and so wonderful to us.

Action 2: Be Amazed By the Word of God.

I pray this text causes you to feel completely in awe of the book you hold in your hand. I pray this creates in you a hunger to read every page. I pray you see how every single line in the Scriptures points to Christ. May we be people of the Book. May all we say and do be centered around the Word of God.

Action 3: Be Encouraged to Proclaim the Gospel.

I pray that this text encourages you. I pray you see that when you share the gospel, it is not in your own strength and power but is in the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers.

Appeal:

I truly pray for you that you would have these three things in abundance. Be amazed by your salvation. Be amazed by the Word of God, and be encouraged to proclaim the gospel.

Closing Prayer:

Let’s Pray.

Dear Heavenly Father. We just want to praise your name. We praise you for our salvation. God, we confess that we are so seldom in awe of what you have done. We confess that we seldom ponder the incredible reality that you would save sinners and that you have promised this salvation from the beginning of time. We ask you to forgive us for those times we take salvation for granted. Please apply this to our hearts. We ask that you would give us that much needed sense of wonder at the beauty of the gospel. May we join in with the angels in longing to see it more closely. And Lord, we ask that you would encourage us in proclaiming the good news of salvation. We long to see your Kingdom grow. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.