Part 3: 1 Peter 1:10–12

1 Peter 1:3–12 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

I am going to say something at the outset about this passage that is obvious but also comforting that I will not mention again but is a lesson we can learn from this nevertheless and that is that God knows everything in advance. The prophets foretold a future of one who will bring salvation and He came. Indeed we spoke about this on Wednesday with the prophecy of Jesus and a couple of weeks before about the coming of John the Baptist. The prophets also foretold our future and it will come. Why? Because God’s plans are certain and always come to pass.

Now, if it is possible, let is bear this in mind as we look at the result of what was prophesied. Ignorance of the salvation of God is prevalent today. Even basic things are not understood and I’ve heard stories that makes me wonder about how little people know.

One day a visiting preacher came to a certain Sunday school class. He asked the children, “Who broke down the walls of Jericho?” “I didn’t, mister. Honest!” A startled little boy blurted. The Sunday school teacher who was also there said to the preacher, “This boy is honest. I can vouch for him. He didn’t do it.” Later, the preacher recounted the experience to an elder. The elder replied, “Hmmm, sounds incriminating. But I’ve known the boy and his teacher for a long time. I’m sure neither one is guilty.” Amazed and appalled by this time, the preacher took the matter to the Pastor. And the Pastor replied, “Why make a mountain out of a molehill? Let’s have the walls repaired.”

It is one thing for the kids to not know about the walls of Jericho but another for the Sunday school teacher and the Pastor.

It makes you wonder what was being taught there. I’ve wondered that about here, too. In my previous Church I was told of the 500+ children that used to come to Sunday school, and to the Boy’s Brigade and Girl’s Brigade but where are those children now? How come revival did not come to that estate? What was actually being taught or was it that the things being taught was just social ethics and not about our living God in Christ Jesus?

I’m not expecting all of them to have become Christians but good number of them should have. Each have to make their choice. And whilst there I met one of those who was taught and now she is a Jehovah’s Witness. We molly-coddle the message of Jesus in such a way that they do not actually hear the truth. Blind leading the blind into the pit. We teach the children a salvation by works. You know, be good and that is all they need to do. Shame on us for allowing such people near children in the name of the Church or Christ.

But what is really surprising is the ignorance of those whom we would expect to know more. This illustration revealed that a Sunday School teacher and the Pastor really had no idea but in our passage today there are two groups that we would expect to know but do not concerning our salvation. Who are we talking about? The prophets and the angels. The prophets of old searched concerning our salvation. They spoke of the grace of God that was to come in the person of Christ and yet, they didn’t quite understand that grace, for He was not yet fully revealed. This is not that surprising since they lived before Christ was born since they were all living under the law. But what is really sad is just how little this grace is understood by people today and have no knowledge of salvation. Many people have a bible in their homes and even if they read it they still do not get it. There are others who go to Church Sunday by Sunday and still do not understand – even if the Pastor is not like the one who didn’t know about the walls of Jericho, even if the preacher is evangelical and preaches the gospel there are still some who just do not get it.

I knew about an elder in one church who, for some reason, just could not grasp the principle of God’s grace. He always had it in his mind that a person had to live exactly right according to scripture otherwise they couldn’t be saved. He didn’t seem to understand where God’s grace entered into the picture of every person’s life. This was a man living like a Jew under law. The cross was a stumbling block for him.

Yet for those who understand they cannot understand why others do not. When our eyes have been opened to the love of God in Christ Jesus then we think it strange they are blind, so blind.

G. W. Knight wrote: When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award - yet receives such a gift anyway - that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favour.

This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God. The prophets of old searched intently and with the greatest care to find out about this grace. If they searched intently then what does that say about us? Only 27% of those who say they are born-again Christians read the Bible at least once a week. Baptists were lower than this. Can you imagine how low the percentage would be for daily reading?

John Quincy Adams said: “I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once a year. My custom is to read four or five chapters every morning immediately after rising from my bed. It employs about an hour of my time, and seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day. In what light soever we regard the Bible, whether with reference to revelation, to history, or to morality, it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.”

George Muller said: “The first three years after my conversion I neglected the Word of God. Since then, I have read the Bible through 100 times, and each time with increasing delight. When I begin it afresh, it always seems like a new book to me. I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God.”

The Old Testament prophets did not understand exactly what God was doing but they did know that something good was going to happen and they searched intently to find out. And we, too, need to keep searching, learning and seeking God’s will and wisdom. We have no excuse for we have been given everything we need to understand our salvation, to live lives pleasing to God and not only that we have at our fingertips prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled.

What is also surprising is that the angels did not understand either. They have always seen the face of the Father, always known God and yet do not get what salvation is about. How could this be? Don’t angels live in heaven with God? How could they not know about man’s salvation on planet earth? Apparently, they have limited knowledge just like humans.

The philosopher Freud once said to a dear woman friend: “You know, for more than 30 years I have been engaged in the deepest researches into the mysterious workings of the human personality. Yet there is one question I cannot answer, and never will be able to—what does a woman really want?”

Well, now that really is a question no one knows the answer to!

Gen. Douglas Macarthur said: I was studying the time-space relationship later formulated by Einstein as his Theory of Relativity. The text was complex and, being unable to comprehend it, so I committed the pages to memory. When I was called upon to recite, I solemnly reeled off almost word for word what the book said. Our instructor, Colonel Fieberger, looked at me somewhat quizzically and asked, "Do you understand this theory?" It was a bad moment for me, but I did not hesitate in replying, "No, sir." You could have heard a pin drop. I braced myself and waited. And then the slow words of the professor: "Neither do I, Mr. Macarthur. Session dismissed."

There are many things in life that we don’t understand and may never understand. And even so-called smart people or intelligent people don’t know everything or have all the answers. No doubt, that Bill Gates of Microsoft fame, is a very smart man. He’s made billions of dollars from his company and to his benefit, has donated millions and perhaps billions to helping needy people. So be it. But I suspect that as far as intelligence goes his stops when it comes to spiritual matters, that is, the will of God and the Bible. In a November 2005 PBS interview by David Frost, when asked if he believed in God, Gates replied: "In terms of doing things I take a fairly scientific approach to why things happen and how they happen. I don’t know if there’s a god or not, but I think religious principles are quite valid." As smart as Bill Gates is, he still doesn’t understand the truth about God.

And that makes us and the angels far ahead of him! Even though angels don’t understand some things and we don’t know why, they still have the right attitude. THEY LONGED TO LOOK INTO THESE THINGS OR TO KNOW THESE THINGS. What about our longing or desire? Is it God-centred, Christ-centred, Bible-centred or is it merely worldly-centred?

Ephesians 3:10 ESV

10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

It is through the church that God’s wisdom of salvation is being revealed! I suspect that angels attend every church service there is! They are wanting to know about the mystery of the gospel. There is a hymn that puts into words the problem angels have:

There is singing up in Heaven such as we have never known, Where the angels sing the praises of the Lamb upon the throne, Their sweet harps are ever tuneful, and their voices always clear, O that we might be more like them while we serve the Master here!

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.

I hear another anthem, blending voices clear and strong, “Unto Him Who hath redeemed us and hath bought us,” is the song; We have come through tribulation to this land so fair and bright, In the fountain freely flowing He hath made our garments white.

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.

Then the angels stand and listen, for they cannot join the song, Like the sound of many waters, by that happy, blood washed throng, For they sing about great trials, battles fought and vict’ries won, And they praise their great Redeemer, who hath said to them, “Well done.”

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.

So, although I’m not an angel, yet I know that over there I will join a blessèd chorus that the angels cannot share; I will sing about my Savior, who upon dark Calvary Freely pardoned my transgressions, died to set a sinner free.

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.

WHAT ABOUT US? Are we eager to learn? Do we want to know more about God and Christ and the gospel? Are we as faithful and as inquisitive as angels?

C.S. Lewis gave us the following insight: "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Lewis is saying that we are often satisfied by the things of the world. Instead of searching for the deep things of God we are content with making mud pies when we could be building the kingdom of God! Anyone who stops learning about God and Christ have stopped growing, loving, and serving. The prophets are examples to us of those seeking out the grace of God which was a mystery to those who were before for they could not see the whole picture but we are without excuse. We have the Holy Spirit; we have salvation in Jesus Christ; we have the Bible; we have Pastors and Teachers; we have the internet and books; we have everything we need to both grow in knowledge and to know God. The angels are still ignorant though they have full knowledge but cannot understand the why of such a salvation – and we can answer that it is found in the love of God which needs to be experienced – for who has been forgiven much loves much.

Concerning this salvation of ours, we must continue to learn and grow and serve.

Communion

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He did not come to be served but to serve. What a Saviour! We are the privileged to know God. May we come to the fullness of the knowledge of God.

Ephesians 3:16–19 ESV

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

And so we come to the table not fully comprehending as yet the love of God towards us but accepting it all the same.

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises One day when sin was as black as could be Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin Dwelt among men, my example is He Word became flesh and the light shined among us His glory revealed

Living, He loved me Dying, He saved me Buried, He carried my sins far away Rising, He justified freely forever One day He's coming Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain One day they nailed Him to die on a tree Suffering anguish, despised and rejected Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree And took the nails for me

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NKJV

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer One day the stone rolled away from the door Then He arose, over death He had conquered Now is ascended, my Lord evermore Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him From rising again

Living, He loved me Dying, He saved me Buried, He carried my sins far away Rising, He justified freely forever One day He's coming Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming One day the skies with His glories will shine Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing My Savior Jesus is mine

Benediction

Jude 24–25 ESV

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

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