Come to Him
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Training my kids to come to me- it will save them a lot of trouble in the future, promote peace in the home, biggest reason- I love them and I have there best interest at heart. Don’t go your own way, come to me.
This is the message of I Peter. Don’t go your own way, come to Christ. Follow Him, don’t allow difficulties to keep you from coming to Christ.
Encouragement- Spiritual blessings in Christ-
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,
Command- What they should be doing
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Warning- If you choose to go your own way
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
Responsibilities- Don’t be selfish (Go your own way), instead love one another
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
How?
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Now Peter gives these struggling believers the why. Why should I not go my own way and instead come to Christ?
Three reasons
I. Because Jesus is precious in the sight of God
I. Because Jesus is precious in the sight of God
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
To whom (that is Jesus) continually come, continually move towards or approach or enter into His presence. Come to Him constantly, don’t turn away, don’t go your own way, don’t allow persecutions to turn you away from continually moving towards Jesus!
Why?
Because Jesus is a living stone!
Here Peter introduces the metaphor of a building, and in v.7 Jesus is called the cornerstone. But He also emphasizes the fact that Jesus is a living stone. What does Peter imply when He calls Jesus a LIVING stone?
Jesus is alive. He is not monument or stone statue placed to commemorate a dead hero. He is risen, He is alive.
He also is the one who gives life!
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,
This living stone, the one who is alive and gives life, this stone is disallowed or rejected by men! Wow why would anyone reject the one who gives life? Yet millions of souls have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. On the one hand men have rejected Christ, but on the other hand in the sight of God, Jesus the living stone, is chosen and precious.
Why come to Christ and follow Him? Because God has chosen Him and He is precious in His sight. Who’s judgement are you going to trust? That of men who have reject Christ, or that of God who not only chose Christ but considers Him precious?
Illustration- The doctors looked at Zoe Bell on Monday and they are mostly positive that she is a dwarf. Zoe and I had a bond when we were in the DR. Apparently she really likes men and so every time I would look at her she would smile and act all shy- her mom called her a big flirt. I even got to sign her to sleep one night. She was a precious little girl. Now according to the world’s standards if they would have found out that Zoe was a dwarf in the womb what would they have done? Recommended abortion. They would have rejected her. Yet God looks on that little one and He calls her life precious. I tell you what I am on God’s side every day of the week. Zoe is a precious little girl and she is beautiful in God’s sight. Christ is the sight of God is chosen and precious. Why would I want to allow myself to be seduced by the world’s way of thinking? What does the world say? Don’t follow after Christ He isn’t worth it. Why would I trust the world’s judgement when God looks upon Christ and says He is precious to me?
So when trials and persecutions come will you still come to Christ and follow Him? Or will you be deceived by the people of the world that have rejected what God has called precious?
Why should I come to Christ?
II. Because acceptable worship is only possible through Jesus
II. Because acceptable worship is only possible through Jesus
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
For those who have put their faith in the living stone they themselves have become living stones. They have become a part of the spiritual building of God.
This is not talking about Israel, it is not saying that the church has replaced Israel. Israel and the church are two separate and distinct things. Isreal is a people of God and the church is a people of God, different, yet sometime what is true about one is also true about another.
Here the NT church is described as a living building, a spiritual house (in contrast to the temple), a holy priesthood (every believer is a priest before God). We are a part of this spiritual building, and we are not only the stones, we are also the priests who minister in this house. And what is our purpose? What is the purpose of the NT church? To offer up spiritual sacrifices (as opposed to animal sacrifices). We are to give gifts to God, we are to worship Him. What do these spiritual sacrifices look like?
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
The reason that Christ saved us and made us a part of this spiritual house and made us priests before God was so that we could worship God as He deserves to be worshiped. Notice we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God. And very important, at the end of v. 5 what makes this acceptable worship of a holy God even possible? It is by or through Jesus Christ. This kind of worship is only possible through Christ. If we stop seeking after Christ, if we stop moving towards Him or coming into His presence. If we go our own way instead of following Him, if we allow the difficulties the trials, the tests, the hardships to turn us away from faithfully coming to Christ then it will be impossible to offer to God worship that is acceptable in His sight.
Illustration: We never would have made it in the DR if we didn’t have the Bells to be our guide. Theft, all of the security necessary to keep one safe, speaking the language, getting around with the crazy traffic, bargaining for souvenirs, we would have had a terrible time at any of it if we had gone off and done our own thing instead of following our guides.
My son likes to lead when we are walking somewhere. He has to be in front even if he doesn’t know where he is going. I often get a kick out of watching him try to lead when he has no idea where to go.
If we don’t come to Christ and follow Him, trust in Him, rest in Him, then it will be impossible to offer to God the acceptable worship that He deserves.
How have you been doing at offering God your acceptable gifts of worship? Have you been doing it through Christ, or have you been going about it your own way?
Why should I come to Christ?
III. Because you will never be ashamed for following Christ
III. Because you will never be ashamed for following Christ
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
Here Peter quotes from Is 28.16
Peter says that those who believe in Jesus will not be confounded.
Confounded- put to shame or disappoint, of the shame and disappointment that come to one whose faith or hope is shown to be vain.
If you come to Christ and follow Him faithfully even if it means enduring trials and tests you will never be disappointed. You will never be ashamed for choosing to follow Christ. Brother Wright on Sunday asked the question, have you ever regretted a decision to obey Christ? Ever?
I will tell you what will cause you shame and disappointment however, sin.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
But the end thereof are the ways of death.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
What does the next verse say?
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
The one that comes to Christ will never be put to shame, but oh how much shame and disappointment await the one who chooses the pleasures of sin for a season. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I John 1.9 is still in the Bible. We can be forgiven, we can restore fellowship with God if we have fallen in our sin, but that does not make it any less true that sin still has consequences. But believer if you faithfully follow Christ I can promise you that you will have no regrets.
Illustration: There have been so many mistakes that I have made in my life, times when I have sinned, that I wish I could go back and change. Now if I’m not careful the devil will use those failures in my life to keep me defeated. And I have to say with the Apostle Paul,
King James Version Chapter 3
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I npress toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Yet I cannot remember in all my 35 years of life ever choosing to come after Christ and regretting that decision.
So believer come to Him! Continually move towards or approach or enter into His presence. Come to Him constantly, don’t turn away, don’t go your own way, don’t allow persecutions to turn you away from continually moving towards Jesus!
Why?
Because Jesus is precious in the sight of God
Because acceptable worship is only possible through Jesus
Because you will never be ashamed for following Christ