True Love

1 Peter 1:10-12. "True Love" Safe Haven Community Church. Sunday February 14th, 2021. 1 Peter 1:10-12 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. (ESV) According to one report Valentine's Day takes it name from a young Christian who once lived in ancient Rome. Like so many of the early Christians, Valentine had been imprisoned because of his faith and eventually martyred on the Flaminian Way under the Emp. Claudius (c. 269 AD) (Cross, F. L., & Livingstone, E. A. (Eds.). (2005). In The Oxford dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed. rev., p. 1687). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.) Often and longingly he thought of his loved ones and wanted to assure them of his well-being and his love. Beyond his cell window and beyond reach, grew a cluster of violets. He picked some heart-shaped leaves and pierced them to spell the words, "Remember your Valentine," then set them off by a friendly dove. On the next day and the next, he sent more messages that simply said, "I love you." In this way the valentine had its beginning. On Valentine's Day, people of all ages remember those they love by sending valentine cards. (Zuck, R. B. (1997). The speaker's quote book: over 4,500 illustrations and quotations for all occasions (p. 404). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.) The Apostle Peter wrote the epistle of 1 Peter from Rome in 64 AD to the church dispossessed from their homeland by persecution. As we saw last time (1 Pt. 1:1b) the letter was addressed to Churches in provinces located in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, which were part of the Roman Empire. Peter's theme in the first chapter of this letter is the blessedness or greatness of salvation. Here in verses 10-12 he examines it from the viewpoint of four divine agents who were involved with the message of salvation: Those who ministered to us to bring us the ultimate message of love and hope: 1) The Foretelling of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 1:10-11a), 2) The Founding of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 1:11b-12a) 3) The Forthtelling of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 12b), and 4) The Fathoming of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 12c). Believers experience True heavenly love through: 1) The Foretelling of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 1:10-11a) 1 Peter 1:10-11a 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). (ESV) The apostle first draws attention to the salvation referred to in verse 9 from the viewpoint of the prophets. They were God's Old Testament spokesmen "who prophesied about the grace that was to be". This "grace" is not just a New Testament Concept In the Garden of Eden after humanity fell into sin and death, God promised salvation in Genesis 3:15 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (ESV). Then in verse 22: 22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever-" 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken (ESV) * This was an act of Grace by God, so man and woman would not remain in a state of rebellion, God prevented from eating from the tree of live which would permanently separate them from God in their disobedience. Through Grace, he promised in Gen. 3:15 that a redeemer would one day come to pay for the penalty of this and all other transgression of those who would repent of their sins and trust in Him. The statement in our text of 1 Peter 1:10 that the Old Testament prophets prophesied about the grace that was to be does not indicate that the prophets looked forward to a saving grace that did not exist at all in Old Testament times. By nature, God has always been an unchangeably gracious God (Ex. 34:6, Pss. 102:26-27, 116:5, James 1:17). The prophets foretold of the Cross that was to come. Yet they were often perplexed concerning things prophesied (Dan. 7:28, 8:26-27). Salvation has always been available to sinners (Deut. 32:15, Pss. 3:8, 27:1, Isa. 55:1-2, 6-7, Jonah 2:9) and always and only by grace. This letter is written to testify to the true grace of God (5:12), in which believers are enjoined to stand fast, even though, as the letter makes clear, they face suffering and abuse. According to the NT understanding, our salvation comes as a gift by grace through faith. So also, our life of faithful forgiving and nonretaliating discipleship is empowered by grace. (Waltner, E., & Charles, J. D. (1999). 1-2 Peter, Jude (p. 44). Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.) Please turn to Matthew 13 To understand the gracious love of God, 1 Peter 1:10 discusses how the prophets searched and inquired carefully. They pursued the meaning of their own prophetic writings to know all they could about God's promised salvation. the truth of salvation was their greatest passion. The message of all true ministry is Salvation. The message the God calls all servants to proclaim is the nature of redemption that He accomplishes. An amazing characteristic of Scripture is its clarity, for God speaks to us in simple terms. For that reason, the Reformers of the sixteenth century taught about "the perspicuity of Scripture." What they meant by "perspicuity" is that anyone guided by the Holy Spirit is able to read and understand the Bible because of its clarity. They acknowledged that some passages of Scripture are difficult to interpret; nevertheless they realized that the basic message of the Bible is clear... (Unfortunately) people who search the Scriptures, as the Bereans did in Paul's day (see Acts 17:11), are in (the minority).... The Bible is an open book in which God tells us about the riches of salvation we have in Christ Jesus. Therefore, study the Scriptures to be wise in respect to salvation (2 Tim. 3:15). (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude (Vol. 16, pp. 54-55). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.) In this aspect of clarity and understanding, Jesus explained this in teaching about the purpose of parables: Matthew 13:10-17. 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: " ' "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive." 15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' 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. (ESV) * The mysteries of how the kingdom of heaven would operate was prophesied by the Prophets but not fully understood. In particular, these secrets of the kingdom of heaven explained its partial and preliminary manifestations in Jesus' day as it was breaking into the world in advance of its full and final appearing at the end of the age. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1847). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.) * We think over the course of our lives here on earth, that this is an especially dark time. It's easy to think that things will just get worse. But in the scope of redemptive history, the people of God have longed for a time like this. We have access to teaching, evidence and biblical materials like never before. We have more avenues to share this truth than ever before. These present difficulties are unique opportunities to show and explain the true love of God. God has been preparing peoples eyes to be open to the Gospel and preparing their ears to listen and hearts to respond. As the people of God our eyes, ears and hearts need to be open to them for it is the life changing love of God that is desperately needed to be shared. In the beginning of verse 11, we see how the Prophets, in coming to understand the coming Messiah, were trying to determine "inquiring what person or time" would point to His arrival. The word here for "time" (Kairos) is used to denote a season of time or appointed time and occurs frequently in the NT to refer to the eschatological season when God's promises will finally be realized. Of all the times to be alive in human history, it is a supreme privilege to be alive in the period of history following the coming of Christ, when the gospel is clearly preached. Through the witness of those who saw and heard Jesus, subsequent generations also see and hear. (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 101-103). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.) Illustration: "Sharing the love of God" In the Letter to Diognetus, which dates back to the second century B.C., an anonymous writer describes a strange people who are in the world but not of the world: "Christians love everyone, but are persecuted by all. They are put to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are dishonored and yet gain glory through dishonor. Their names are blackened, and yet they are cleared. They are mocked and bless in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to others. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility" (Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers (pp. 58-59). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.). * The world may not always understand who we are or what we do but when we show the love of God when those of the world would not, we show who the God of love truly is. Believers experience True heavenly love through: 2) The Founding of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 1:11b-12a) 1 Peter 1:11b-12a 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). (ESV) The prophecies the Holy Spirit revealed to the prophets were divinely inspired and recorded under His superintendence (cf. Jer. 1:9, 23:28, Ezek. 2:7, Amos 3:7-8). And the overall theme of those prophecies was twofold: the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. We can see how it must have been the Holy Spirit that controlled the elements of salvation that Peter refers to here in the sufferings of Christ in such passages as Psalm 22:1-31, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Daniel 9:24-26, and Zechariah 12:10, 13:7 (cf. Ps. 89:24-37, Luke 24:25-27, Rev. 19:10). and the subsequent glories, including such truths as the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of Christ, which appear in passages like Isaiah 9:6-7, Daniel 2:44, 7:13-14, and Zechariah 2:10-13, 14:16-17. One of the subsequent glories promised by the OT prophets for those in the new covenant involved the change in our disposition through the Holy Spirit. (Ez. 36:26; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:2). The Subsequent glories that Peter describes in 1 Pet. should really astound us. Just from a numbers perspective: The odds of just eight Old Testament prophecies of Jesus coming true is one in 100 million billion. That's millions more than the total number of people who have ever lived. If you had this many silver dollars, it would cover the state of Texas two feet deep! (Source: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (Zondervan, 1998) Please tun to 2 Peter This all speaks to the eternality of Christ, specific elements of His life predicted thousands of years before the occurred. The Holy Spirit Himself is referred to here as Spirit of Christ in them (cf. Rom. 8:9) which demonstrates that the eternal Christ, inseparable from the Holy Spirit, worked from within the Old Testament writers to record God's infallible revelation. Since the world's belief systems are based on human and demonic invention, of myths and fables, it is easy to misunderstand Biblical faith. The writers of scripture were not merely reworking ancient myths or giving their subjective advice. In 1 Pet. 1:11 the point seems to be that the Spirit who was the agent of revelation to the prophets of old is the same Spirit of Christ known to the first-century church... Peter thereby shows a continuity of the presence of the Spirit with the prophets and with the Christians, who receive the gospel of God's mercy centered in the suffering and glorification of Jesus Christ (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 101). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.). Peter explains this process in 2 Peter 1 so we may know how we have come to the basic of our faith: Biblical truth. In 2 Peter 1:21 he says: 2 Peter 1:16-21. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 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. (ESV) * The gospel of Christ is no myth, because the apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ's majesty. Peter had observed the "majesty" of Christ firsthand at the transfiguration. He knew that Christ had come in power; He was no mere literary character invented for a mythological narrative. We often commonly say that an artist is inspired, or particularly creative, in their creation. But the explanation of Biblical inspiration here is that the prophies recorded in Scripture were given only by God through men, who "spoke" as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the active, revelatory agent working within the OT prophets and through their lives and circumstances as they prophesied. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2419-20). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.) This all points back in 1 Peter 1:11 to the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about and superintending the message and work of Salvation. The Spirit was indicating (edēlou, "making plain") to them when He predicted (promarturomenon, "witnessed beforehand") what was coming. He was plainly testifying to the prophets about God's salvation that would be fully accomplished through Jesus Christ (rendering, "testified beforehand"). The Spirit also made it clear that the prophets' searching would never be fully satisfied because the complete gospel message could not be revealed during that time. Peter indicated this reality when he wrote: they were serving not themselves. They fulfilled their difficult task for the sake of the gospel. As distressing as life may often be, this tested-as-though-by-fire faith enables us to love Christ even in his physical absence and to experience the blessings of a joy so deep that words fail to account for it. It might even be said that the mark of genuine Christian growth and spiritual maturity is the capacity to suffer well. Few will testify to having learned much during seasons of prosperity, but many will point to the testing of their faith as the occasion in which they grew in greater conformity to the image of Jesus. ( Storms, S. (2018). 1 Peter. In I. M. Duguid, J. M. Hamilton Jr., & J. Sklar (Eds.), Hebrews-Revelation (Vol. XII, p. 307). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.) * Think of the implications of this in our service:: Why do we parent: Like the OT prophets, we do so not for any blessing we might receive but to instill love and values to those entrusted. Why do we belong to a congregation: Not primarily for what we can get but for opportunities to minister and grow in Christ with others. Whenever we base a relationship, be it in marriage, parenting, ministry, or even friendship based first on what we can receive, we then loose the authentication of the message of love. Christ came not to be served, but to give His life a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45). Illustration: "Being a blessing to others" An elderly widow, restricted in her activities, was eager to serve Christ. After praying about this, she realized that she could bring blessing to others by playing the piano. The next day she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune: "Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent-the service is free." The notice included the number to dial. When people called, she would ask, "What hymn would you like to hear?" Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them. (Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.) * God has given us various gifts and talents. He has put us in particular situations at particular times. Those situations and times are never excuses for faithful service but unique opportunities to uniquely show the unique gifts and talents that all believers in Christ have to be a blessing to others. Believers experience True heavenly love through: 3) The Forthtelling of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 1:12b) 1 Peter 1:1-12b 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.) (ESV) Please turn to 1 Corinthians 2 "The things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you" is the description of the Gospel or good news of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul explained in Romans 1, He was "set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Rom. 1:1-6). The prophet had to proclaim salvation to the people of his own generation and to predict how God was going to save the people of all generations...He was a man given a very special call, a call to the most important task in all the world: the task of proclaiming the glory and wonder of God's salvation. God was making it possible for (His people) to be saved and to live eternally (Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). 1 Peter-Jude (p. 25). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide). Paul illustrates well the singular devotion such preachers had to the greatness of the salvation message. He wrote to the Corinthian believers: 1 Corinthians 2:1-8. 1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-(ESV) (cf. Rom. 1:16-17). * The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the demonstration of God's true love for us. The message of the Gospel is the description of God's message and works, as seen by eyewitnesses. It does not need marketing, or spin, or clever rewording. We may feel that we are not particularly articulate or cleaver, but that is exactly the realization of how to best articulate the facts of the Gospel. We often fear sharing the truth of Christ with others because we fear that we will not have all the answers or fear the reaction. When such fear dominates, it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Gospel is. It shows that we are putting the confidence in our wisdom or ability instead of where our confidence should be: In God, His word, Christ's actions, and the power of the Holy Spirit to open eyes and change hearts. When we live in such a way that shows we love others, the Holy Spirit uses such faithfulness to open a door to hear the true of God's love. The Apostles were sent by the church as messengers of the gospel empowered by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. This phrase was a Hebrew idiom for asserting that the new age of righteousness, which was from God, brought by the Spirit, had fully come (cf. Acts 2) (Utley, R. J. D. (2000). The Gospel according to Peter: Mark and I & II Peter (Vol. Volume 2, p. 220). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.). Illustration: HOLY SPIRIT: Romans 5:1-5 (POSB, Note 6, point 2) God has given His Holy Spirit to believers to help them grow and also to give them a keen awareness of His abiding love. But as believers, our lives must be yielded to the Holy Spirit before we can reap the benefits of His presence. The great composer Mendelssohn once visited a cathedral containing one of the most priceless organs in Europe. He listened to the organist, then asked for permission to play. "I don't know you," was the reply, "and we don't allow any chance stranger to play upon this organ." At last the great musician persuaded the organist to let him play. As Mendelssohn played, the great cathedral was filled with such music as the organist had never heard. With tears in his eyes he laid his hand upon Mendelssohn's shoulder. "Who are you?" he asked. "Mendelssohn," came the reply. The old organist was dumbfounded. "To think that an old fool like me nearly forbade Mendelssohn to play upon my organ!" If we only knew what wonderful harmonies the Holy Spirit can draw out of our lives, we should not be content until He has complete possession and is working in us and through us to do His great will of love. (Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2004). Practical Illustrations: Romans (p. 46). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.) Finally, believers experience True heavenly love through: 4) The Fathoming of Heavenly Love (1 Peter 1:12c) 1 Peter 1:12c 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. (ESV) Please turn to Ephesians 3 Things mentioned here, denote the many features of salvation into which angels long to look. Long translates epithumousin, which describes having a strong desire or overpowering impulse that is not easily satisfied. Peter here shows his readers, who were suffering a loss of status in their society because of Christ, that in fact they were more privileged in the perspective of redemptive history than they could have known-more privileged than either the great prophets of old or the angels above. This provides further motivation for joy even in the midst of suffering. Clearly the gospel message is of great value if it is the focus of attention of the prophets of old and the angels of heaven. Christians should therefore rejoice that they have obtained that precious message (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 105). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.). Paul described the Gospel and the cosmic wonder in its message: Ephesians 3:1-10. 1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles- 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 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. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 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. (ESV) * Paul suffered imprisonment or confinement several times in the service of Christ (4:1; Acts 16:23; 24:23; Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 1:8; Philem. 1). He wrote the message under imprisonment. John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim's progress, was arrested under the Conventicle Act of 1593, which made it an offence to attend a religious gathering other than at the parish church with more than five people outside their family. The offence was punishable by 3 months imprisonment followed by banishment or execution if the person then failed to promise not to re-offend. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bunyan#:~:text=Bunyan%20was%20arrested%20under%20the%20Conventicle%20Act%20of,person%20then%20failed%20to%20promise%20not%20to%20re-offend.) * Gone are the days of having the ability to proclaim a friendly message to friendly recipients. The Gospel is offensive to the natural human assumption of righteousness. People will do everything in their legal power to silence the message. Our natural human inclination to fear will keep us from sharing it, but it is the only message that will bring freedom from the power and penalty of sin. It is a message that is historically prophesied, eye witness verifiable, miraculously attested, supernaturally written and empowered, all showing the true Love that God has for lost and desperate. Illustration: John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the Mission station. (Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18. Higher Praise.org) * The entire spiritual realm longs to know what has been entrusted to us. The power of the message can change everything. Long to study it, allow the Holy Spirit to use you in its proclamation, preach it and watch in awe as God changes the world. (Format note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2004). 1 Peter (pp. 39-49). Chicago: Moody Publishers.) 107 BENEDICTION May He Who is your light, your strength, your song and cornerstone, Prepare you for the fiercest drought and storm; Quiet your fears and cease your strivings; That you may know the heights of His love And the depths of His peace. In Christ we Pray. Amen.