This sermon, based on 1 Peter 1:17-21, calls believers to prepare for suffering and persecution by cultivating a holy fear of God, rooted in understanding God's fatherly prerogative, the immense price of their redemption through Christ's blood, and the ultimate glory of their Savior.
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to open with me in your bibles to first
peter chapter one
and as you're turning there i'll take
the opportunity to thank
john mcarthur and phil again and the
brethren at grace to you for
inviting me to speak to you all it is an
immense privilege one i am
conscious that i do not deserve
and uh
it's just a thrill to meet you all we
were remarking some of us as the
speakers just on uh your zeal and um
encouragement the the smiles on your
faces the eagerness with which you
express your thanks and gratitude for
the ministry of grace to you and john
macarthur it is just a blessing to all
of us to know uh that the word goes
forth and has its effect on on god's
people we we hear the of the ministry we
see grace you we go to the building
week in and week out we go to the church
but you are the effect of all of that
and what a delight it is to
with i could say more but let's turn to
the word of god first peter chapter one
i'm going to read our text tonight is
verses 17 to 21. i'm going to read
peter says therefore
prepare your minds for action
keep sober in spirit
fix your hope completely on the grace to
be brought to you
at the revelation of jesus christ
as obedient children
do not be conformed to the former lusts
which were yours in your ignorance
but like the holy one who called you
be holy yourselves also in all your behavior
behavior
because it is written
you shall be holy
for i am holy
if you address as father the one who
impartially judges according to each
one's work conduct yourselves in fear
during the time of your stay on earth
knowing that you were not redeemed with
perishable things
like silver or gold from your feudal way
of life inherited from your forefathers
but with precious blood
as of a lamb unblemished and spotless
the blood of christ
for he was foreknown before the
foundation of the world
but has appeared in these last times for
the sake of you who through him are
believers in god
who raised him from the dead and gave
him glory
so that your faith and hope
i am convinced
that the most serious calling
and stewardship that pastors have today
is to prepare their congregations to endure
endure suffering
suffering
and persecution
in a way that honors christ
christ
that shouldn't take any of us by
surprise the lord jesus warned us that
the world that hated him
would hate his followers
john 15 20. if they persecuted me they
will also persecute you paul says in
second timothy 3 12 all who desire to
live godly in christ jesus will be persecuted
persecuted
those who think
and speak
and act
like and look like jesus
in this world that hated and mocked and
crucified jesus
will be marked by the afflictions of jesus
but i believe the time is coming for us for
for
believers in followers of jesus in north
america to experience a level of
persecution that we have not before
i wonder if you could have ever imagined
that you'd live to see the united states
government sue churches
because they are gathering
together on the lord's day in obedience
to christ's commands
i wonder if you could have ever imagined
that you'd see
a church building fenced off and
padlocked by the government and guarded
by 200 police officers preventing
worshippers from entering the way we saw
with grace life edmonton in alberta canada
canada
could you ever have imagined that the
governing authorities would put pastors
in jail for assembling with their
congregations for sunday worship
as was done to james coats and tim
and the events of the past two and a
half years have only made government totalitarianism
totalitarianism
look more plausible lockdowns
lockdowns
and mask mandates
and vaccine mandates and travel
restrictions and even historic levels of inflation
and then there's the growing cultural
totalitarianism that demands that you
live by the lies of the new paganism
if you refuse to celebrate and affirm homosexuality
homosexuality
if you refuse to concede that the baby
in the womb is just a clump of cells
that can be discarded at the mother's will
will
if you refuse to call richard rachel
or use someone's preferred pronouns
if you refuse to repent of your whiteness
whiteness
there is no question the body of christ
we need to be equipped to stand firm in
the face of persecution to remain
faithful in the midst of trials because
and that is because
this world is not our home
in the opening verse of first peter
peter calls the believers he's writing
to those who reside as aliens
that term speaks of a temporary resident
in a foreign place
those who do not have the rights of
citizenship but are temporary residents
peter will say in chapter 2
and verse 11 that we are aliens and
strangers in this world hebrews 11 13
says that believers in the promises of
god confess that they are strangers and
exiles on the earth
philippians 3 20 says our citizenship is
in heaven
and in first peter 1 17 the beginning of
our text this evening peter speaks of
the believer's present life as the time
of your stay
on earth
do you hear how temporary that sounds
where do you hear about your stay
in hotels
right i hope you enjoyed your stay sir
please come again
you are a sojourner you are
a pilgrim you are a stranger journeying
through the foreign land that is planet
earth to the country of your true citizenship
we forget that sometimes
and when we set our minds on these
things here below
we start trying to carve out a little
portion of this world
and call it our own
and we wed our affections to this world
as if it's our home
and then we become indignant when the
circumstances of life barge in
and we want to fight back
and we want to reclaim our territory
but hebrews 13 14 says for here we do
not have a lasting city but we are
seeking the city which is to come
here we have no lasting city here we are
strangers and exiles on the earth we
desire a better country the country of
our citizenship the city which has
foundations whose architect and builder
is god
where moth and rust do not destroy
where thieves do not break it in steel
where there is an inheritance reserved
for us that is imperishable undefiled
and will not fade away we
we
and so you should only expect suffering
it only makes sense that the world would
hate those who are not its own
remember what jesus said to the
disciples in john 15 19 if you were of
the world the world would love its own
but because you are not of the world but
i chose you out of the world because of
this the world hates you
you're a pilgrim
you're not of this world you speak
differently you behave differently you
enjoy different things you're
unimpressed with the worldly lusts that
so captivate their hearts
and they hate you because of it
what does peter say in chapter 4 verse 4
they are surprised that you do not run
with them into the same excesses of
life lived according to the customs of
the country of your citizenship
indicts the sinful lifestyle of those
who live according to their own lusts
and pleasures and it provokes them to
and then besides a holy life
the world hates those who like their
lord testify of it that its deeds are evil
evil
john 7 7
see the world cannot abide those who
will stand up and testify that richard
is not rachel
that marriage is not up for redefinition
that the child in the womb is not a
clump of cells until the mother decides
he's a person but he's an image bearer
of almighty god who alone determines personhood
personhood
and so suffering and persecution are coming
coming
and we need to be prepared ahead of time
to weather that storm
to endure faithfully to suffer well
to stand firm
and to do that
it's fitting to turn to the epistle of
first peter because it's in this letter that
that
peter writes to persecuted believers who
he said reside as aliens and strangers
in the world he encourages them to bear
up under unjust suffering
and he begins in chapter 1 verses 3 to
12 by praising god for the privileges
that these persecuted pilgrims enjoy as
a result of his grace at work in their
lives i know you are suffering i know
the fire is hot but let's begin by
considering who you are in christ and
what you have in him
they have the sure hope of an
imperishable inheritance verse 4.
they enjoy the assurance of a sincere
faith tested and proven by trials verses
six and seven
they're animated by a fervent love of an
inexpressible joy in christ verses eight
and nine
they have the great privilege of seeing
centuries of prophecy fulfilled in the
life death burial and resurrection of
jesus in verses 10
to 12.
and then in verse 13 peter begins to
outline how we as the beneficiaries of
those privileges are to live in response
to the grace of god that we have been given
given
and in verses 13 to 21 he issues three
key imperatives
first in verse 13 he calls them to a
life of steadfast hope
when he says fix your hope completely on
the grace to be brought to you at the
revelation of jesus christ
he's saying you will suffer well dear pilgrims
pilgrims
when you set your minds entirely not on
the present troubles and distresses that
you must face as strangers in the
foreign land but on the unfathomable
grace that you will enjoy when christ returns
secondly in verse 15 he calls them to a
life of universal holiness saying but
like the holy one who called you be holy
yourselves also in all your behavior
so you will suffer well dear pilgrims
when you commit yourselves to pursuing
holiness in all of life why
why
well a couple of reasons one because
when persecution comes the temptation is
to yield
you know listen i believe that jesus
died for my sins and everything but if
i'm going to lose my job
if they're going to take my house
if i could go to jail
if they try to kill me
maybe i don't have to be so fanatical
about this christianity thing
and you're tempted to compromise you're
tempted to blend in with the world so
you don't incur their wrath
but peter says no if you're children of
the holy god so you also be holy as he
and there's another reason
why a life of holiness is essential to
standing firm against persecution and
that is because you will not suffer for
a god whom you will not obey
you will not suffer for a god in wartime
whom you will not obey in peace time
you will not persevere in obedience to
god unto the loss of your freedom
or unto the loss of your property
if you can't obey in the secret place
when all your obedience costs you is the
christians who care nothing for pursuing
communion with christ in disciplined
prayer and bible reading don't go to
christians who don't devote themselves
to the assembly of the saints and the
ministry of the local church don't
joyfully accept the seizure of their
property for the name of christ
christians who don't find christ
satisfying enough that his glory severs
the bonds of their lusts
don't lay down their lives for the gospel
gospel
if you compromise when all discipleship
costs you is the lust of your flesh you
will not stand on conviction when
those unconcerned with holiness do not
stand in the day of real trial and so
peter calls believers to a life of
but then as we come to our passage for
this evening verses 17 to 21 peter
issues a third imperative not only hope
in grace not only live in holiness but
also he calls them to a life of holy fear
fear
a life of holy
fear look at verse 17
if you address as father
the one who impartially judges according
to each one's work conduct yourselves in
fear during the time of your stay on earth
earth
and that third imperative seems a little
counterintuitive doesn't it
we like the command to fix our hope
completely on future grace
and though our flesh resists the call to
sanctification we get the command to be
holy in all of our behavior
but the command to live in fear
that greats against our temp
contemporary sensibilities
even in the church
we're happy to talk about our
responsibility to love god
to worship god
to obey god
but to fear god
no no no doesn't perfect love cast out fear
fear
and you would think that in encouraging
pilgrims who were strangers in a foreign
land peter would tell them not to fear
but actually that's exactly what he's
doing he's telling the believers that
they don't need to fear the wrath of
those who would persecute them to such a
degree that they should compromise their
lives of holiness and faithfulness to
christ no instead of fearing man peter
says fear god
peter is telling us that the way that we
battle the sinful fear of man is to
replace that fear with a superior holy
fear of god
don't fear displeasing man who can only
kill the body but afterwards can do
nothing to the soul no fear displeasing
god who though your father
nevertheless judges each man's work
without partiality he is the one to whom
you will give an account after your
flesh is destroyed and your body lies
the fear of the lord is a major theme in scripture
scripture
the fear of yahweh says proverbs 9 10 is
the beginning of wisdom
proverbs 1 7 says the fear of yahweh is
the beginning of knowledge
in deuteronomy 10
12-13 moses asks the question what does
god want from us
and he answers with a list of things
headed by the fear of the lord
deuteronomy 10 12 now israel what does
yahweh your god require from you but to
fear yahweh your god to walk in all his
ways and love him and to serve yahweh
your god with all your heart and with
all your soul
and to keep yahweh's commandments
and so you see that fearing god is
entirely consistent with loving him
and serving him and obeying him
so also is this fear consistent with joy
psalm 211 says serve yahweh with fear
and rejoice with trembling
and so if we have the notion that
fearing god in the way that scripture
commands is at odds with rejoicing in
him the problem is with us
because scripture sees them as perfectly consistent
you say yeah but that's the old testament
testament
don't we get past that fear in in the
new testament
don't we move on to love and grace and
mercy and kindness we don't move past fear
fear
acts 9 31 luke gives the account of
saul's conversion and reception into the
church and he says so the church
throughout all judea and galilee and
samaria enjoyed peace
being built up and going on in the fear
of the lord and in the comfort of the
holy spirit and it continued to increase
and so the fear of the lord is not
incompatible with peace with edification
with the comfort of the holy spirit
we heard of it in our first session
second corinthians 7 1 let us perfect
holiness in the fear of god
colossians 3 22 don't do your work
merely to please men but with sincerity
of heart fearing the
lord and then you have first timothy 5 20
20
those who continue in sin rebuke in the
presence of all so that the rest also
will be fearful of sinning
and it's really that last sense that
notion of being fearful of sinning that
captures what peter's after in this
command to conduct ourselves in fear
this is not the fear of the guilty
unforgiven sinner who is terrified at
the thought of his deserved condemnation
some of you
in a group this large
you'd have to you'd be foolish not to assume
assume
that there are some who are outside of
christ some of you need to fear that fear
i am coming up against almighty god
whose name is holy
and i have broken his law and i've
belittled his glory and i have no good
thing no righteousness no atonement to
bring to him that would satisfy his just
wrath against me i
i
am naked
before the throne of god
and you ought to fear that way
but for the believer
for the believer who in 1st peter 1 2
has been chosen according to the
foreknowledge of god sanctified by the
spirit and sprinkled by the blood of
christ that fear has been banished by
christ's atonement for our sins on the cross
cross
instead this fear that peter calls us to
is the fear of displeasing the god whom
we love more than anyone or anything
the 17th century scottish preacher
robert layton
put it this way he said the fear here
recommended is a holy self-suspicion
and fear of offending god which may not
only consist with assured hope of
salvation and with faith and love and
spiritual joy but is there inseparable companion
companion
the more a christian believes and loves
and rejoices in the love of god the more
unwilling surely he is to displease him
and if in danger of displeasing him the more
more
afraid of it
this is the fear of sinning against our
father incurring his just
fatherly displeasure
and experiencing his chastening
this isn't a servile fear that keeps us
in doubt of our salvation
it's a filial fear
the holy reverent
awfilled fear that a child has for his father
father
but desires to please god precisely
because we are his children
and we are assured that we belong to him
because we love him and we don't want to
dishonor him
this kind of fear is the opposite of
that kind of cowering terror that keeps
us shaking in the corner it's a fear
that obliterates all lower fears and
begets in us a rock solid strength
and courage to meet every trial or
conflict that should come
at the hands of a hostile world
and in this passage
peter gives the believer three considerations
considerations
to meditate upon to think over
to ruminate on in order to feed this
holy fear
if the pilgrim's life in this hostile
world is to be lived in the holy fear of god
god
a fear that will preserve us from
compromise even in the midst of
persecution then these three
considerations will help us cultivate
that fear so that when the trials do come
come
we'll be prepared to suffer well
and that first consideration we've seen
a bit already in verse 17 and that is
number one
consider the prerogative of your father
consider the prerogative of your father
peter says if you address as father
the one who impartially judges according
to each one's work
conduct yourselves in fear during the
time of your stay on earth
and so peter begins with another great
privilege that we as believers enjoy and
that is we call upon god as our father
the term address in that verse is
epicoletto literally to call upon and it
speaks of the great honor that believers
have to be able to pray to the king of
the universe
of ourselves
in the nakedness of our own
unrighteousness we have no right
to come into the presence of almighty god
god
no right even to bow our heads close our
eyes and address him in the thoughts of
we have sinned against him we have
broken his law we have regarded his
glory a light and trifling thing
we have preferred sin and
unrighteousness more than his purity and holiness
holiness
we are rebels to this king and not only
do we deserve to be banished from his
presence we deserve the lot of traitors
a wretched end of punishment and damnation
damnation but
but
that is not what we get
why because the gospel of the lord jesus
christ has freed us from this peter
himself says in chapter 3 verse 18 for
christ died for sins once for all the
righteous for the unrighteous so that he
might bring us to god
god
in ephesians 2 18 paul writes that
through christ we have our access in one
spirit to the father we have access to
the throne room of god we have an
audience with the king
we may address ourselves to him
and go to him with our cares and our
concerns and our petitions and
and why does he hear us
because we do not merely address the king
king
we call upon him as father
the righteous sovereign god is not only
kindly disposed to us as our master
but he is eager to receive us as our
father we are not merely subjects
we are children
you know it's one thing for a king
as the head of state to pardon a guilty criminal
criminal
but it is abundant grace for that king
to then take that criminal into his own home
home
and to provide for that criminal to give
him a seat at his dinner table
to give him the family name
to make him an heir
that is what god has done for us through
christ romans 8 verse 15 says you have
received a spirit of adoption as sons by
which we cry out abba father you see
once you were no people
but now we have been adopted into the
family of god such that our bond with
him gives us leave to cry out to him in
and so peter says in chapter 1 verse 14
as obedient children
be holy like your father
bear the family name well
if god is your father conduct yourselves
in holiness in every aspect of your life
but here in verse 17
he builds on that exhortation and he
says notwithstanding the great
privileges of being adopted sons and
daughters of god notwithstanding the
great privilege of being able to call
upon god as your father
don't let familiarity breed contempt
consider the prerogative of your father
that the one you call out to is not only
this accessible father but also an
impartial judge
who will not bend the rules of his
holiness even for his own beloved
children no he judges impartially
now it's true
that in the case of the believer the
final judgment against our sins has been
rendered christ has borne our
condemnation in his cross and so we need
not fear eternal punishment from god but
but
that does not mean that the father winks
at our sin
that does not mean that he cares nothing
for the practical holiness which he
calls us to walk in as obedient children
that does not mean that we cannot
displease him or grieve him
or invite his discipline and chastening
by walking in unrighteousness no but
what does hebrews 12 say those whom the
lord loves
he disciplines
and he scourges every son whom he receives
receives
hebrews 12 7 god deals with you as with
sons for what son is there whom his
and peter's saying your accessible
father is also an impartial judge of
each one's work he plays no favorites he
shows no partiality he hates sin
wherever he sees it
and if he sees it in his children
though his judicial wrath against it has
been satisfied by the blood of christ
he is nevertheless displeased by it
and precisely because he loves his children
children
he sends forth his hand of discipline to
correct us and chasten us
but friends sometimes
sometimes
oftentimes every time if we are in the
proper frame
that hand of discipline
stings doesn't it
and though it's for our good
we would prefer not to have it
and so peter is saying
conduct yourselves in fear of that discipline
discipline
precisely because you don't want to
displease your gracious father and
precisely because you don't want to
experience the unpleasantness of his
fatherly discipline order your lives in
such a way that you won't displease him
when the government attempts to usurp
the headship of christ over his church
and tells christians that we cannot
gather in the name of christ without
adhering to certain guidelines and that
if we do we'll face fines and lawsuits
we can conduct ourselves in the fear of caesar
caesar
or in the fear of mammon
or in the fear of ease
and we can compromise and avoid the
consequences of persecution or
or
we can conduct ourselves in the fear of
god calling to mind that our father
judges each man's work impartially and
that christ has commanded us to gather
on the first day of the week to exalt
his name to exposit his word and to
edify his people
caesar says don't gather it's dangerous
christ says gather
conducting ourselves in the fear of god
in that moment is to fear displeasing
god more than we fear displeasing government
[Applause]
and so as voti bakum says you can avoid persecution
persecution
all you have to do is compromise
and we've seen a lot of that in the last
two years but that compromise evidence
is a lack of faith in christ it
evidences that you fear the consequences
of man's wrath more than the
so what do i do you feed your fear pilgrim
pilgrim
consider the prerogative of your father
consider that he is not only your
accessible father but your impartial
judge consider that pleasing him is ten
thousand times more satisfying than
pleasing man
consider that displeasing him is ten
thousand times more grievous than
displeasing your persecutors this way
when the time comes that you have to
choose between displeasing man and
displeasing god your fear of god will
that brings us then to a second
consideration that will bolster our fear
of god and prepare us to stand firm in
the midst of persecution and hostility
number two
consider the price of your redemption
consider the price
of your redemption
we see that in verses 18 and 19 peter
writes conduct yourselves in fear knowing
knowing
that you were not redeemed with
perishable things like silver or gold
from your futile way of life which you
inherited from your forefathers
but with precious blood as of a lamb
unblemished and spotless
the blood of christ
first i want you to notice that word knowing
knowing
at the beginning of verse 18.
conduct yourselves in fear knowing [Music]
[Music]
that's what grammarians call a causal
participle you could translate that
conduct yourselves in fear because you
know this means that if you're going to
obey this command to live in holy fear
of god you need to know the truth
sorry and you need to bring the truth to
bear on your affections
well what truth do we need to know
that feeds this life of holy fear it is
the truth look at it that you were
redeemed with the blood of christ
now that commentator i quoted earlier
robert layton he wrote of this he said
if you would increase much in holiness
and be strong against the temptations to
sin this is the only art of it
view much
and so seek to know much of the death of
jesus christ
you want to be holy
there's one thing to do
view much and seek to know much of the
death of jesus christ knowing that you
were redeemed
what does it mean to be redeemed
well the concept of redemption means to
secure the release of a captive
by the payment of a price
means to purchase someone's freedom by
the payment of a ransom the first
extended instruction on the laws of
redemption in scripture come in
leviticus 25 where an israelite had
become so poor that he had to sell
himself or his property or even himself
into slavery god made provision in his
law for his family members to redeem his
property or to redeem the man himself
out of slavery by the payment of an
appropriate price
then by far the most famous example of
redemption in the old testament is the
lord's deliverance of his people israel
out of their bondage of slavery in egypt
exodus 2 23 says that israel sighed
under the bondage of their masters that
god heard their groding he remembered
his covenant with abraham and in exodus
6 6 said i will bring you out from under
the burdens of the egyptians and i will
deliver you from their bondage i will
redeem you
and so redemption refers to the
deliverance of slaves from bondage
in the same way scripture testifies that
all mankind is born into the bondage of slavery
slavery
that we are so beholden to the lust of
the flesh and the lust of the eyes and
the boastful pride of life that we are
jesus says in john 8 34 truly truly i
say to you everyone who commits sin
is the slave of sin
who commits sin everyone
everyone
without exception this is how god
himself speaks of who you are by nature
you are enslaved to sin your mind your
desires your will every aspect of your
being is held captive by sin
and so scripture says that christ has
come to redeem his people from the
bondage of their slavery galatians 4 4.
but when the fullness of the time came
god sent forth his son born of a woman
born under the law so that he might
redeem those who were under the law that
we might receive the adoption as sons
christ has come to purchase us out of
the slave market of sin by the payment
of the ransom price of his own life
to give as he says in mark 10 45 his
and look at what peter says we were
redeemed from
verse 18
from your futile way of life
inherited from your forefathers
this is how peter describes a believer's
life before he comes to faith in christ it
it
is futile
it is worthless
it is useless it is vanity it is empty
it is entirely meaningless
this is god's estimation of your life
outside of christ
it's been documented
that the prisoners of nazi concentration
camps would be forced to spend 14 hours
a day lifting these large heavy rocks up
from the ground and into a wheelbarrow
and then loading up that wheelbarrow
with as many rocks as it could hold and
then pushing that wheelbarrow to the
under other end of the yard and
depositing the rocks on the other end of
that yard all day long
back and forth back and forth
back-breaking labor
and when the prisoners had finally moved
all the rocks to that other end of the
yard their task masters would tell them okay
okay now
now
that is a picture of a life of futility
imposed by captors
upon captives
peter says that is what life outside of
christ under the slavery to sin is it is fruitless
fruitless
all of your exploits
all of your ambitions for fame and money
and power even all the designs you might
have for the betterment of society and
the promotion of human flourishing apart
from christ are nothing
more than hoisting 50 pound boulders
into a wheelbarrow from one end of a
yard to the other end and back again and
you say but this was my way of life
now this is the way that my family spent
their lives this is our culture
these are our values and traditions
it doesn't matter
look it again look at how peter puts it
your futile way of life inherited from
your forefathers
peter's audience belonged to a society
in which deviation from ancestral
traditions was tantamount to treason
they believed that those traditions were
the foundation of a healthy and stable
society and he tells them that was all
meaningless apart from christ
say peter you can't just say that about
people's culture
he says i just said
it doesn't matter who it is what culture
it is outside of christ your way of life
layton again that commentator whom i've
grown to love writes the whole course of
a man's life out of christ is nothing
but a continual trading in vanity
running a circle of toil and labor and
and the point that peter's making
is that christ has redeemed you from
that life christian
you were in bondage to sin
you were enslaved to a life of
fruitlessness and vanity and christ the
son of god broke through the shackles of
your slavery and redeemed you from the
bondage of sin and death
so in the face of persecution which
tempts you to renounce christianity or
at least tempt you to stop living so
consistently with your christianity to
look more like your old self than your
new self the new man or woman that
you've been recreated in christ to be
when that happens don't buy it
don't retreat back to your old way of
life that life is meaningless that life
is fruitless it is empty there is no
prophet christ has redeemed you from
that don't throw away the liberty
that christ purchased for you in the
face of persecution you'd be returning
to your slavery you'd be walking into
the jail cell with the bars open and
and in that in that situation
you could escape imprisonment
imprisonment
from caesar
but you would live
and then peter zeroes in on the cost of
that redemption we said that that redemption
redemption
is the purchase of a slave's freedom by
the payment of a ransom
well what was the ransom price
verse 18
not with perishable things like silver
or gold
but verse 19 with precious blood
as of a lamb
unblemished and spotless
the blood of christ
your ransom christian
was not what the slaves ransom was in
leviticus 25.
it wasn't silver or gold those things
may seem valuable to the world indeed
though there is nothing more valuable to
the world than silver or gold silver and
gold are perishable
they are corruptable they will wear out
they are just temporary
the most esteemed highly valued
commodities among the world mean nothing
in the spiritual sphere
those things could not purchase your redemption
redemption
yours was a slavery that was so
unbreakable that the most precious
metals and stones on earth could not
suffice to release you
psalm 49 7-8 says no man can by any
means redeem his brother or give to god
a ransom for him for the redemption of
his soul is costly and he should cease
trying forever
but oh the god-man
our elder brother the lord jesus christ
he can give to god a ransom for the
redemption of his brethren
yes the redemption of a soul is so
costly that every man everywhere should
despair of ever paying for his brother's
sins let alone his own but all our
christ our kinsmen redeemer does not
bring perishable things for the ransom price
price
he brings his own precious blood
blood worth more than silver blood worth
more than gold
blood worth more than rubies more than
diamonds he brings the blood of a
sinless substitute
picking up on the language of the old
testament sacrifices which required the
sacrificial lamb to be unblemished and
without defect peter says christ was
that perfectly suitable unblemished
spotless lamb of god
only one who is without sin could redeem
those liable to the penalty of sin
and only jesus was such a lamb
and then more than the blood of a
spotless lamb jesus blood acts 20 28
says was the blood of god
paul tells the ephesian elders
to shepherd the church of god which he
that is god purchased with his own blood
dear people god has no blood god is a spirit
spirit
but jesus has blood
and jesus is god
which means he is not only sinless
he is infinitely righteous
possessed of the infinite merit and
worth that god's law requires of those
who would be ransomed back into
fellowship with him
christ's blood friends is the blood of
the god man
which means his blood is as the text
says precious it perfectly avails for
everyone for whom it was shed and so
hebrews 9 11 and 12 says but when christ
appeared as a great as a high priest of
the good things to come he entered not
through the blood of goats and calves
but through his own blood he entered the
holy place once for all having obtained
don't think about ransoming your brother
the redemption of his soul is costly
cease trying forever abandon all hope
you who enter here but this blood
was so precious
this blood was so
glorious infinitely meritorious that it
purchased eternal redemption not for one
but for a multitude of sinners whom no
this was the price of your redemption christian
christian
the blood of christ the blood of god the
son himself the blood of the one who
never deserved to have to have blood
let alone to have that blood be shed at
the hands of sinful men
and peter's point is that if this was
the cost of your redemption
can you treat this blood
as such a contemptible thing
that you give no thought
to living the very life of sin
that this blood was shed to redeem you from
that is what we do
titus 2 14 says christ gave himself to
redeem us from every lawless deed and
to purify for himself a people for his
own possession zealous for good deeds
the purpose of redemption wasn't only to
free us from sin's penalty it was to
free us from sin's power
and when you give yourself to the very
lawless deeds that the blood of christ
was shed to free you from
you conduct yourselves in a way
that indicates that you do not believe
and everything in you
ought to recoil from that thought
every fiber of your soul should shrink
from that thought in horror
and that's peter's point
conduct yourselves in fear because you
know how precious the price of your
redemption was fear living your lives as
if the ransom price of christ's blood
let me read you one more quote from
leighton because i
simply can't resist
he writes
consider often at how high a rate
we were redeemed from sin and provide
this answer for all the enticements of
sin in the world
except you can offer my soul something
beyond that price that was given for it
on the cross
i cannot hearken to you
i'm going to read that again
consider often at how high a rate we
were redeemed from sin and provide this
answer for all the enticements of sin
and the world say to temptation say to
sin except you can offer my soul
something beyond that price that was
given for it on the cross i cannot pay
you any mind
brothers and sisters can sin offer you
something worth more than the blood that
was shed for your redemption from that sin
so reason with yourself
as you do battle with temptation and
your flesh presents to you the allure of
sin hey it'll feel good to do this
it'll be better if you don't make waves
just maybe this is not your battle
wait for the next one when it's really
big ask yourself
what is my estimate of the blood of christ
is it worth more
than the false glory of what sin
promises me
or do i consider the blood of god
to be a light and trifling thing
you see with a strong weapon
the believer's estimation of the
preciousness of the blood of christ is
against sin
there's a third
consideration that will strengthen and
support your holy fear of god
during the time of your stay on earth
not only the prerogative of your father
not only the price of your redemption
but number three consider the glory
of your savior the glory
peter mentions the name of christ at the
end of verse 19 and then he just burst
out he can't hold it in he says the name
of christ and then he's got to erupt
into praise he says for he was foreknown
before the foundation of the world but
has appeared in these last times for the
sake of you who through him are
believers in god who raised him from the
dead and gave him glory so that your
faith and hope are in god
what is he saying this glorious
redemption purchased by the precious
blood of christ this was no afterthought
this was no accident this was the
gracious plan that god determined before
the world began
that christ would appear on the earth as
the incarnate god man that he would live
a perfect life in obedience to the law
of god that he would die to shed his
precious blood to ransom his people from
their sin and then he would be raised
from the dead and seated in glory at the
right hand of the father in heaven and
become the sole source of faith and hope
in the one true and living god to
everyone who believes
that is a glorious savior
and he gives at least four aspects here
that he that he celebrates in these two
verses he speaks of christ's
predetermination he was foreknown before
the foundation of the world he speaks of
his incarnation but he has appeared in
these last times for your sake his
exaltation god has raised him from the
dead and gave him glory and his
exclusivity through him you are
believers in god
and frankly those four points could be a
sermon series in themselves and so we
don't have time tonight to give them the
exposition that they deserve but i would
hope to zero in on just one of them
before our time is gone and that is that
third one his exaltation
god has raised him from the dead and
gave him glory
why does peter call attention to this
truth in this context
because it reminds the believers friends
it reminds us
that we trust in and follow a christ who
is not unacquainted with suffering
that we do not have
a never suffering savior
we have a savior that was hated
we have a savior that was spit on
we have a savior that was mocked and
beaten and killed in the most shameful
way possible sometimes those who seem
addicted to the world's applause tell us
that if we could just be more like jesus
surely the world would give us a hearing
surely they would accept his claims
surely they would want to be part of his
church they killed jesus
they crucified him the world did
we're going to fly we're going to follow
that one and then be so much like him
that the world rolls out the red carpet
for us when they pierced him his brow
with a crown of thorns
when they whipped him and mocked him
are you kidding me the but but here's
the point
here's the point
that very same savior who was mocked and
who was spit on and who was beaten
and who was killed and crucified in this
shameful way that very same savior was
raised from the dead
he was highly exalted and given the name
which is above every name he was seated
at the right hand of the father in the
heavenly places far above all rule and
authority and power and dominion
our savior you see was made for another world
world
he came into this world as a pilgrim
as a stranger
as an exile in a foreign land as a man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief
his sufferings were infinitely greater
than anything that we could imagine
but he did not waver in faithfulness to
his father he did not compromise he
conducted himself in fear during the
time of his stay on earth because he
knew it was only a temporary stay
this time
he knew that this life was for giving away
away
and that the next life is for rest and reward
reward
and as a result of his faithful
obedience he was raised from the dead
and exalted to heaven
and so brothers and sisters
that there is not only our savior that
is our forerunner
he has blazed the very trail that he now
calls us to walk
as suffering pilgrims on a journey to
heaven and if we can fix our gaze on gethsemane
gethsemane
and on golgotha and think of the depths
of the dishonor that he suffered in his life
life
and then if we can raise our eyes to
heaven and think of the heights of glory
that he enjoys now
we will be able to deny ourselves and to
take up our crosses daily and to die to
self and follow after him
if we can like stephen
gaze intently into heaven and by the
spiritual side of faith see the glory of
god and see jesus standing at the right
hand of god then even in our greatest of
trials even amidst a shower of stones
like stephen endured we can be comforted
that christ our head has been exalted to
glory and therefore that we his body
shall join him before long
the puritan john flavel said if the head
is above water the body cannot drown
our head is above water
in the glories of heaven far above the
very rule and authority that sentenced
him to death
and so as the resurrection hymn says
ours the cross yes
yes
ours the grave yes
yes
but ours the skies
as well
ours the skies
because the very worst that they can do
to us
is kill us
but we serve a savior
who looked at martha
weeping for her brother's death
and said i
am the resurrection and the life
and he who believes in me will live even
if he dies and everyone who lives and
believes in me will never die
die
death is transformed from the last enemy
to the friend
death belongs to you first corinthians 3 22
22
because death takes us to our great
reward and so nothing called nothing
deserving of the name death can be
predicated of the christian the one who
believes in me will never die
and then after he said that
by the power of his own voice he raised
lazarus from the tomb
and a time is coming and now is when all
who hear the voice of the son of god
will come out of the tombs and be raised
to a resurrection either of eternal life
or of judgment
and my point has been
that when your heart grabs a hold of
that precious truth that no matter how miserable your
that no matter how miserable your persecutors attempt to make your life on
persecutors attempt to make your life on earth
earth that you will live again
that you will live again that on the last day the one who raised
that on the last day the one who raised jesus from the dead will raise your
jesus from the dead will raise your decaying body to life we'll glorify it
decaying body to life we'll glorify it and will reunite it with your soul for
and will reunite it with your soul for you to live again in the integrity of
you to live again in the integrity of body and spirit on the new earth when
body and spirit on the new earth when your heart grabs hold of that reality
your heart grabs hold of that reality you become invincible
you become invincible you live above the fear of death
you live above the fear of death you live above the fear of man
you live above the fear of man and you conduct yourselves in the holy
and you conduct yourselves in the holy fear of god
looking at verse 21 so that your faith and hope are in god you see the god of
and hope are in god you see the god of scripture doesn't offer us any hope any
scripture doesn't offer us any hope any solace by setting our minds on this
solace by setting our minds on this world and the things of this world but
world and the things of this world but by raising our eyes to heaven where
by raising our eyes to heaven where christ is colossians 3 seated at the
christ is colossians 3 seated at the right hand of god for you have died you
right hand of god for you have died you are dead already in christ and your life
are dead already in christ and your life is hidden with christ in god here again
is hidden with christ in god here again we have no lasting city we're seeking
we have no lasting city we're seeking the city which is to come a city that
the city which is to come a city that has foundations
has foundations not this present creation
not this present creation which peter says in ii peter 3 will
which peter says in ii peter 3 will dissolve like snow in the heat of divine
dissolve like snow in the heat of divine judgment
judgment no we are looking for new heavens and a
no we are looking for new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells
new earth where righteousness dwells we're looking for the city whose
we're looking for the city whose architect and builder is god a heavenly
architect and builder is god a heavenly city which will not decay or fade away
city which will not decay or fade away we are looking for our home
we are looking for our home where we can be face to face with our
where we can be face to face with our precious jesus
precious jesus to sit with him to walk with him and
to sit with him to walk with him and talk with him and embrace him and be at
talk with him and embrace him and be at rest with him and receive the full
rest with him and receive the full communication of his love and glory
communication of his love and glory dear christian you may be hated and
dear christian you may be hated and despised by the world i can almost
despised by the world i can almost guarantee you will be if you are
guarantee you will be if you are faithful
faithful i can guarantee you will be peter paul
i can guarantee you will be peter paul says that in second timothy 3
says that in second timothy 3 you may be the special object of the
you may be the special object of the world's derision
world's derision and even persecution the storm is coming
and even persecution the storm is coming but you be faithful you magnify the
but you be faithful you magnify the worth of jesus by the way that you
worth of jesus by the way that you suffer for his sake
suffer for his sake you conduct yourselves in fear during
you conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth because
the time of your stay on earth because soon shall close
soon shall close your earthly mission soon shall pass
your earthly mission soon shall pass thy pilgrim days hope shall change to
thy pilgrim days hope shall change to glad fruition
glad fruition faith to sight
faith to sight and prayer to praise
and prayer to praise let's pray
father like to him says oh while thou dost smile upon me
oh while thou dost smile upon me god of wisdom love and might
god of wisdom love and might foes may hate and friends disown me show
foes may hate and friends disown me show thy face
thy face and all is bright give us a vision
and all is bright give us a vision with the eyes of faith in the pages of
with the eyes of faith in the pages of scripture
scripture of the heavenly reward that your son has
of the heavenly reward that your son has already entered into that you have
already entered into that you have promised with the inviolable integrity
promised with the inviolable integrity of your word to bestow on those who
of your word to bestow on those who follow after him in going to our death
follow after him in going to our death to this world
to this world because we trust in him
because we trust in him lord jesus you are worthy of that
lord jesus you are worthy of that devotion
devotion you are
you are your glory demands it your goodness
your glory demands it your goodness compels it from us
compels it from us and yet we feel the the weakness of our
and yet we feel the the weakness of our own flesh to follow after in the way
own flesh to follow after in the way that we ought here with our hearts full
that we ought here with our hearts full of the word of god
of the word of god we we feel invincible we feel ready to
we we feel invincible we feel ready to go and into battle
go and into battle lord keep the word always before us keep
lord keep the word always before us keep christ always before us
christ always before us that we might be so prepared
that we might be so prepared whenever the time comes
whenever the time comes we don't know when it's coming we know
we don't know when it's coming we know that it is coming
that it is coming give us grace to be on the alert help us
give us grace to be on the alert help us to suffer in a way that shows when we
to suffer in a way that shows when we lose all things
lose all things christ is greater and more glorious more
christ is greater and more glorious more precious to us than all things
precious to us than all things that when we lose everything with thy
that when we lose everything with thy favor loss is gain
favor loss is gain get what you are worthy of in your
get what you are worthy of in your church we pray in the name of christ our
church we pray in the name of christ our lord amen
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