[0:00] The following message was given at a Sunday celebration at Trinity Grace Church in Athens.! For more information about Trinity Grace, please visit us at TrinityGraceAthens.com.
[0:10] We're going to be looking at 1 Peter. So if you have a Bible, you can open that to 1 Peter. It's toward the back of your Bibles. You can find Hebrews, then James, and then 1 Peter is right after that.
[0:25] As you turn there, let me give us a quick snapshot of what's going on here. Peter is an apostle of Jesus Christ. He's one who was an eyewitness to all that happened with Jesus, his teaching, his life, death, and resurrection. He was commissioned by Christ. He was sent.
[0:44] That's really what apostle means. He's one that was sent by Jesus to proclaim this message of salvation. And so Peter, he has been writing this letter to churches who are wrestling and in exile.
[0:57] And Peter, in this letter, is wanting to encourage their faith. If you look at verse 1, Peter says, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
[1:13] And so what he's doing is that he's writing to those who are facing trials, persecution. They're dispersed. They're not able to meet. And so he is wanting to encourage their faith.
[1:25] He is wanting to give them confidence and hope that the gospel that they have received is real. And so he's wanting to give them a hope that is unshakable.
[1:37] And so what happens in these first 12 verses of this letter, they're all focused on the blessing of being a Christian. Of the blessing of being a Christian.
[1:49] Of being what Peter calls them the elect exiles. Not just any type of exile. You are chosen exiles. You are chosen by God to be in the position that you are.
[2:00] So you can be in exile and end trials, but have hope because of why you are there. And so God is at work in their midst.
[2:11] And so this morning what I want us to look at are just the last few verses of this glorious section. Of these 12 verses, this opening that Peter has. We're going to look at verses 10 through 12.
[2:23] So please join me now as I have the privilege to read. What I'm about to read is God's word. He's all sufficient, living, perfect word.
[2:34] So look on with me now as I have the privilege to read this word. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, searched and inquired carefully.
[2:46] Inquiring what person or time the spirit of Christ in them was indicating. When he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves, but you.
[3:02] 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.
[3:17] The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of God, it endures forever. Amen. Amen. So one characteristic or trait that good writers have is that they don't assume that their readers, will always remember the main plot.
[3:35] They don't always, they actually assume that their reader is eventually going to forget. They're going to dive into the story. They're going to dive into all the details of what's taking place.
[3:45] And they're going to forget what is actually going on in this story. They're going to forget what is the main point. What is the main plot line? What is the main thing that's going on in this book?
[3:59] And so what good writers will do is they will find ways in which to reintroduce the main plot line to their readers.
[4:10] They will think of ways into which to draw their readers' attention out of all the nitty gritty details of where they currently are and pull them back and to say, okay, here is what this story is really all about.
[4:25] Here is the main goal of the story. Here is where this story that you're reading, here is where it's headed. And so it's easy to forget about that. And so what happens is when that reader does that, when the reader does that, when the writer does that, and it roots the reader in what the plot is.
[4:45] It helps ground the reader. It reorients the reader to what's most important. And so why do I tell you this? Well, the Bible is the world's greatest story ever written.
[4:59] The Bible is the world's greatest story ever written. It is peppered throughout with plot summaries. It is peppered throughout with these moments where the writer will pull us back and direct our gaze back and remind us of what God is actually doing in this grand story.
[5:20] So yes, the Bible, it is 66 books. It has 40 different authors. It's been written over 2,000 years. Yes, all those details, but there's one writer. There is one author.
[5:31] That author is God himself. And so God himself knows he's a good writer. He knows how to get our attention. And so at times, what he'll do, he'll say, okay, let's take a step back.
[5:44] Let's get out of looking at this one tree. Let me take you in my helicopter of grace. Let me take you up and let me let you see the forest. Let me show you what I am doing.
[5:58] Let me remind you of the main plot line. And brothers and sisters, I don't know if you feel this way, but I need this in my life. I so easily get tunnel vision.
[6:10] I so easily get fixated on what's before me. The trials, the circumstances, the suffering, what's on my news feed and social media feed. All these things that it's easy for me just to fixate on what is before me that I forget what the story is all about.
[6:28] I forget what God is doing in my life. And so what God in his grace, what Peter in his grace to his readers, his original readers, what they're wanting to do is to have us just take a breath.
[6:41] Take a step back and reconsider how amazing God's salvation is, how amazing the main plot line of his story is to reconsider and remember what God has done.
[6:59] And so you might be wondering, well, what is this salvation that you're talking about? Well, notice in verse 10, this is what he says. Peter says concerning this salvation. Well, if you look at verse nine, this is what Peter says.
[7:12] He writes, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. This is the salvation that we receive through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
[7:24] It's the salvation that Charlie was talking about this morning. It's the salvation that we receive. Here's a quick summary of the verses prior to these verses one through two. It's the salvation that began in eternity past.
[7:36] As Peter reminded us that we are elect exiles chosen by him. Verses three through five, that we have been born again to a living hope and inheritance that is being kept and guarded for us by God himself.
[7:51] Verses six through nine, that even in the midst of trials and suffering, we can rejoice. We can sing because God is working it out all for good.
[8:02] And so why does Peter keep hitting on salvation in these verses? He wants us to have a deep and abiding sense of joy. He wants us to have gratitude.
[8:13] He wants us. He wants that gratitude and that joy to be so deep that when we are rocked or hit by either trials or suffering or if we are elect exiles in a dispersion, if we're scattered, we can stand firm because we have remembered what God has done in our lives.
[8:32] I had a professor. He described the gospel this way. He said, the gospel is like the ocean. It is shallow enough at the edge that even children can play and immerse themselves in it.
[8:45] But it's so deep in some parts that no person has even seen its depths. So what Peter's been doing at the outset, he is inviting us.
[8:55] He's saying, come into the ocean of the gospel and take a swim. Come into the waters of grace and swim in them.
[9:06] There is one thing that you will not find in the first 12 verses of this letter. One thing, and it's a command. It's not a command in these first 12 verses.
[9:16] Jesus, what Peter wants us to begin by remembering and rehearsing is not what we need to do, but what God has done. Not what we need to do, but what God has done.
[9:28] And so that's what we get to do this morning is we get to rehearse. We get to remember. We get to be amazed at the greatness of our salvation. So that is what I would say is the main point, the main idea.
[9:41] Be amazed at the greatness of your salvation. So four reasons that Peter gives us this morning as to why we should be amazed. First, the prophets searched for it.
[9:54] First, the prophets searched for it. Quick question. Do you know where you are from? Do you know your lineage? My grandfather, who has passed away, I remember that he really got into his family history.
[10:12] And this was before you could pay $99 to Ancestry.com and they would just do it for you. Now, I remember that he would have boxes, he'd have pictures, he'd have certificates, he'd have binders, he'd have all this stuff.
[10:25] And when he would bring that out, my little teenage heart would be like, oh boy, here we go. It's like, all right, we're about to hear about the family history. And what I loved, but what I loved is that my papa, he loved to trace and know where he came from.
[10:45] It actually gave him more respect and honor for his family. And my teenage heart at the time didn't appreciate that. I didn't appreciate that.
[10:56] I was annoyed by it. But in fact, what he saw is that he was from a specific people, a family. He didn't just enter into this world out of nowhere.
[11:09] And what Peter's doing this morning for us is that he's doing that. Remember, the people that he's writing to, they are mainly Gentiles. So they don't understand their family history.
[11:21] They don't appreciate the Jewish history that Jewish readers would know. And so what Peter wants to do as these young believers, just like myself, are being shaken in their faith, what he wants to do is say, hey, I want you to look at your history.
[11:35] I want you to look at your family history. I want you to remember where you came from. I want to remind you that this thing, this message of the gospel, this salvation that I proclaim to you, didn't just kind of pop out of nowhere.
[11:49] There is a long history. There is an amazing history that God has been doing this since the very beginning of the world. So look at verse 10.
[12:02] And concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
[12:18] It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves, but to you. So here's what Peter's saying. He's saying the prophets, as they very accurate with with accuracy, accuracy and specificity, predicted exactly how God would provide the salvation that you and I needed.
[12:36] And so the prophets from the Old Testament were guided by none other than the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit. And so the Holy Spirit were filling these prophets of old and leading them and guiding them into things which we can even see that they didn't fully understand.
[12:56] They didn't even fully grasp. These men, they were raised up by God. They were directed to write an incredible, unbelievable, awesome account of redemption.
[13:09] So what's amazing is that not only was the Old Testament written with our days in mind, but the very events that were written and orchestrated by God, that they would give us instruction today.
[13:22] So listen, here's an example. Listen to this. This is from Isaiah 53. This was written 700 years before Jesus entered the world, took on flesh, the incarnation.
[13:34] Isaiah wrote, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
[13:47] All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Who would have thought that God's answer for our dilemma of sin would not?
[14:02] It wouldn't be just a set of instructions. It wouldn't be a set of techniques. It wouldn't just be a theology or philosophy. It would be God himself. That he would come himself to rescue us.
[14:15] That he would come. He saw us in our sin, and he said that I'm going to leave the glories of eternity. The Almighty, the Holy God, the Creator of the universe, the Sovereign One who upholds the universe.
[14:30] By the power of his word, he was willing to subject himself to take on flesh, to be born into this world as a baby, to experience the hardships of life in a fallen world, to have hunger, temptation, human rejection, injustice.
[14:48] And not only subject himself to that, but he was willing to die. His life was all about going to the cross to take on the punishment, the wrath that we deserve for our sin.
[15:02] We have sinned against this God, and we deserve his punishment. And so Jesus came not just to show us how great he is. No, he counted equality with God, nothing to be grasped, and he made himself nothing.
[15:13] He came as a servant for sinners. For people who did not want him to come. Who did not see their need for him.
[15:24] The prophets talked about Christ's suffering, but they also talked about his glory. And the subsequent glories. The glories which they didn't even comprehend.
[15:36] They could not even understand. Well, that meant the resurrection. That Jesus, that the grave couldn't hold him. That he was going to rise again. That he was going to go and be with the Father. But it also means that the gospel has exploded into this world.
[15:51] That today, today that we are still talking about Jesus Christ. That today there are testimonies after testimonies of people's lives being transformed by the gospel.
[16:04] So Peter is looking at Isaiah, and he is saying this isn't just Isaiah writing this. This is the spirit of Christ writing this. Don't miss that. Peter is saying that this Old Testament prophet, yes, he is human and he's writing this, but he is being led and guided to write by the Holy Spirit of God.
[16:24] And you know what? That is what this whole Bible is. The Bible is God's word. The Bible, when you read the Bible, as one author said, it is God preaching to you.
[16:35] So when you read this word, God is preaching to you. And he is preaching his perfect word. His living word. His sufficient word. And so what does that mean?
[16:46] What does that mean? Well, I would encourage you to read the Old Testament. That there are riches and depths and family history for us in the Old Testament. Yes, even in Leviticus.
[16:58] Even in Leviticus. Even there. But there are promises. There are prophecies.
[17:10] There are figures. That are all pointing to and finding their fulfillment in Jesus. And so now what we get to do is we get to see how those promises were fulfilled.
[17:24] We get to wonder. God takes us in his helicopter of grace and says, look at all I've done. Look at all I've done. All this. All this was for you. Man.
[17:36] Makes you want to read your Bible. Makes you want to know this God. Makes I want to know this God more. So the question though is, why does it cover some 2,000 years of history?
[17:48] Why? Well, God's promises are fulfilled at different times for different reasons. All according to his perfect will. But here we have to remember this. Waiting does not mean that God has not done it.
[18:01] Waiting on God does not mean that God has not done it or that he cannot do it. God is working in our waiting. He is doing 10,000 things that we cannot even understand.
[18:14] He is faithful to his promises. The prophets did not fully understand what they were writing. Look again, the text that says that they searched and they inquired carefully of the scriptures that were available to them.
[18:31] So it's easy for us to think, okay, these prophets, when they're writing these prophecies, that they're kind of in this drug-induced coma. They're like, whoa, okay, I'm seeing this stuff.
[18:41] What is this? And it's just kind of this otherworldly experience. But that's not the picture we get at all in this text, is it? That's not the picture we get at all. There was an intensity to this.
[18:55] There was a weightiness. There was a searching and inquiring. That word inquiring, what Peter uses here, it means for searching for a tent in a house in the country.
[19:06] You're looking for a person. And so as these prophets are having these prophecies, and they're having these visions, and they're having these words come, what they're doing is that they're looking, who is this one?
[19:17] Who is this one that we're looking for? Who is this one that God is promising to send? So they're searching. They're looking at the Psalms of David. They would have the Psalms. And they would be reading them and thinking and seeing, how does this connect here?
[19:32] And what is this pointing to? What I love is that what this shows is that these prophets of God were turning to God's Word, and what Christianity cares about is the truth.
[19:48] I love that. It cares about the truth. So it's good for us to be aware that even as they search to understand their prophecies, it was not an easy task for the prophets.
[19:59] Listen, these are just a few examples of their experience from the prophet Daniel. He says, My spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.
[20:10] Another one, When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips, and then I opened my mouth and spoke.
[20:24] I said to him who stood before me, Oh, my Lord, by reason of the vision, pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. How can my Lord's servant talk with my Lord?
[20:37] For now, no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me. Such is the reward for being a prophet. They were largely rejected.
[20:50] They served for another time. They couldn't even understand salvation as clearly as they so desired. And they were often physically impaired due to the nature of their work.
[21:06] And so, Peter, what he is wanting his readers to realize in us this morning, it should deeply humble us. With fresh consideration of salvation's past glories.
[21:20] There was a cost. They weren't just in this pie in the sky, hanging out, having just a grand time. No, there was a cost that these prophets endured.
[21:34] It should humble us. We know nothing of this kind of suffering. Or I don't. And then, there comes a point when the prophets finally realize that I'm not going to fully understand what I'm writing about.
[21:48] There just comes a point where it's like, this is not meant for me to understand fully. They were writing for us today. And what helps me as I study history, as I look back at years before, what I realize is that I am such a wimp.
[22:06] I am such a wimp. I mean, I am so grateful for all the work and things that have gone before, so that today, that I can have air conditioning.
[22:19] That I can have heat. That I can have lights and sound. And even in the midst of a pandemic, there's still a level of connectivity that we got to experience.
[22:30] I'm thankful for pain medicine. One of my children cut her arm with a piece of glass. I had to take her to the hospital. They had this amazing gel.
[22:41] They just rubbed the gel on, and the pain's gone. I was like, where was that when I needed that? When I was her age, you got a shot. I want the gel. Rub it all over my body.
[22:51] I just don't. I mean, it's just like... It should humble us. As you study history, as you think about all that's happened, to where we can sit today.
[23:08] And as you think about all that the prophets did, to where all the promises, all the searching and longing, so today, we get to see. We get to know. It has been revealed to us.
[23:20] The prophets were put to work by God for us. Think about that. And so now, Peter, in light of that, now that he's given and handed their history to them, now this leads to our second point.
[23:34] He begins to say, it is proclaimed today as good news. Look at 1 Peter 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.
[23:53] Things into which angels long to look. Don't miss... This is a significant transition. This is an important transition that we do not want to miss. That which was promised is now good news.
[24:06] That which was people questioned is now good news. It has happened. And not only has it happened, but it is good. It is the best news.
[24:17] It is the most important news that has ever happened. Listen to Matthew 13. This is Jesus. Jesus said, But blessed are your eyes, for they see in your ears, for they hear.
[24:29] For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people long to see what you see and did not see it. And to hear what you hear and did not hear it.
[24:42] But recall in verse 10, this is an important characteristic of this good news. It's good news of God's grace.
[24:55] The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours. So not only is this good news, but it's good news of grace.
[25:06] Here is what grace is. Grace is not some abstract doctrine or theological construct. Grace comes as Christ does. Grace is as personal as He is.
[25:20] In fact, Christ is grace. The unmerited favor of God is what Jesus is all about. But it is also who He is.
[25:31] We should thus see grace as a personal action by a personal God who saved us from our helpless condition out of pure love.
[25:43] So the gospel does not come to you asking something of you. This is so important for us to understand. The gospel does not come to you asking something of you.
[25:55] It comes in the form of this grace. It comes to you in the form of a gift. It comes to you in the form of Christ Himself being given to you.
[26:10] Oh, please let us not miss that, brothers and sisters. Peter is using the word grace here so that he would capture this transition from the old covenant, the old age in which the prophets were to now this new age which was ushered in by Jesus Himself.
[26:24] And so this gospel has turned the world upside down. What I love about the gospel, what I love about Jesus is that it has outlived every empire.
[26:35] Every empire. Think about this. If you were to look at Jesus, back in His time, poor, a carpenter from Nazareth. He's got this little motley crew of disciples.
[26:47] These guys who are unimpressive. There's nothing to be impressed with these guys. Look at these guys. They're fishermen. And then, you look at the Roman Empire.
[26:59] The Roman Empire. Think about this. If somebody came to you and said, alright, who are you going to bet on? Who are we still going to be talking about 2,000 years later?
[27:11] Who are we going to be proclaimed? Who are we going to be who's still going to be alive today? Who's still going to be proclaimed today? Who's still going to be giving hope and assurance to people today?
[27:22] Well, for me, if I was in that time, I would put my chips to the Roman Empire. I would. not Peter. Peter was a man who saw and understood who this Jesus was.
[27:35] He put all his chips. He saw Jesus live. He heard Jesus' teaching. Peter saw the resurrected Christ and realized that I'm going to put all my chips with Jesus.
[27:50] I'm going to put all my chips with this Jesus. And here's why. It's because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so as Christians, what we can do is to put our full allegiance and trust in Jesus Christ and trust Him.
[28:10] This is news that can be trusted. You may have noticed or recall there was a presidential debate this past week. I have nothing to say about the debate, only this. That during a presidential debate, there is a lot of fact-checking.
[28:24] That's what they do. For both candidates, they said this, this isn't true, they said this, this is true. There's whole websites devoted to this. And you just see, this is true, this is not, this is true, this is not, this is true, this is not.
[28:35] The Bible and the Gospel has been placed under this same intense scrutiny. And what I want to say is that it is still true today. It is inerrant.
[28:47] It is without error. It is true. And so what you can see is from Genesis 3.15, what God said in Genesis 3.15 at the very beginning, He made a promise.
[28:57] He said that one day there's going to be someone who comes whose heel is going to be bruised because He's going to crush the serpent's head. He's going to be this one that brings salvation.
[29:10] The whole Bible, from there to when Christ came, has been true. You can build your life on this book. Let us not take this salvation for granted.
[29:23] What I love about Peter is that he has not lost the wonder of being a Christian. Peter loves being a Christian. Peter loves living his life for Christ.
[29:33] He is still amazed at Jesus and what he has done. He loves to proclaim this good news. The Gospel is proclaimed through suffering and sharing it during this church age.
[29:47] Can you think of and remember the person who shared the Gospel with you? Think of their names. See their face. Think of the message that they share.
[29:59] Maybe it was your parents. Maybe a friend. Maybe a co-worker. A relative. Maybe somebody you don't even know. Just think about we would have this company of names here, wouldn't we?
[30:10] All these people. All these people who proclaim to us this good news. But it was not just this person's zeal that saved us. No, it was God Himself.
[30:21] When you heard the Gospel, when Charlie heard the Gospel from his friend, it wasn't just his friend speaking to him. God was there. The Holy Spirit was there.
[30:33] Proclaiming, softening Charlie's heart. Opening his eyes to see the Gospel. The Gospel that he had heard from a young age, the Spirit showed up in that moment. And he said, Charlie, see.
[30:46] Charlie, hear. This is true. This good news, this Jesus is real. You can trust Him. And by faith, Charlie did. And now, to this day, he can testify to the goodness of God.
[30:59] And if you have a testimony, it doesn't matter when you came to Christ. The Spirit did that. He was at work. And so I would encourage you to share Christ with others. Share Christ. Proclaim this good news that you have received.
[31:13] Third point. Peter gives us another reason. Angels long to observe it. Angels have stood from the very outset of history.
[31:27] The angels have seen all this played out. Think about that. They're eternal beings. They're with God. They've seen it all. They've seen from the garden.
[31:38] They've seen Gethsemane. They've seen Golgotha. They've seen the resurrection. And now, they see the church age. They've seen it all. Every bit of it.
[31:49] The angels know their Bibles. They've seen all that's occurred in 4K before them. Looking down from heaven. God at work through history. Angels have seen it.
[32:02] I don't know how this works, but angels are fixed on God and what He's doing, singing to Him, but they're also fixed on His creation and His purposes. What's amazing is that at times it seems that angels are even more interested in God than we are.
[32:17] Just think about this. That God's creation, they were there with Adam and Eve. They were there when the Messiah was announced to Mary. The angels were there at the birth of Christ.
[32:28] They were there at the empty tomb. They've seen all this playing out. Yet they've been only observance.
[32:41] Think about this. They've only seen it. They've only seen it. They have never experienced or known what we have experienced.
[32:55] They have never experienced sinning and falling short of God and God in His love pursuing them and saving them and bringing them back into fellowship with Himself.
[33:11] Think about this. Angels, they see all this happen. Everything. But yet Peter says that they long to observe. There is a longing.
[33:23] Things into which angels long to look. So angels have seen all this happen but what they long to look into is this salvation that happens. So they look down on the least of us.
[33:37] The very least of us. They see us struggling to understand our Bibles. They see us often stumbling. Prone to wonder. We leave the God we love. But they're amazed because even the least of us know firsthand The specific love of God.
[33:56] The specific personal love of God. that God of the universe who they worship and who they know for eternity this God condescended into meaning that He took on flesh.
[34:10] He came into what He created into our sin and He ran after us. And He brought us back into salvation. Listen to Luke 15. Jesus just so I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner.
[34:28] One sinner. who repents. One sinner. What I love is the New Testament calls the church the bride of Christ. If you've ever been to a wedding one of the highlights is seeing the bride enter.
[34:40] Everyone turns their attention to the bride and you marvel at her beauty. You marvel at her joy. You marvel at her love for their groom. Well guess what church? We are the bride of Christ. So the angels are on the outskirts.
[34:53] They're watching this happen. We're the one walking down the aisle. What's amazing is that it's not just we're walking down the aisle. It's the groom running after us. It's the groom saying oh I can't wait.
[35:05] I'm going to pursue you because I want to be with you. I want to shower my love with you. This is the love of God. And the angels are watching. They've seen it all.
[35:16] They've seen all this take place but they don't know that moment. They've never experienced that moment. It's one thing this is a silly example but it is an example.
[35:32] It's one thing to read the recipe for a chocolate cake. You get to see all the ingredients how they come together. Think about the proper baking temperature to hear about the moistness of the cake the chocolatey flavor.
[35:45] The need to put a big scoop of vanilla ice cream Mayfield vanilla bean ice cream on top of it. It's one thing to read the recipe. It's another thing to taste and enjoy it.
[35:58] It's one thing to read the recipe. It's one thing to watch it all happen. It's another thing to taste it. It's another thing to actually enjoy it. The Holy Spirit turns the recipe of Christ's individual love for you into actual taste.
[36:19] It's amazing. The Holy Spirit turns the recipe of Christ's individual love for you into actual taste. And so, brothers and sisters, what I never want us to do is to lose our marvel for the gospel.
[36:35] Let's join in with the angels. And let's marvel at what God has done. What I love is that the angels, if you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, I want to invite you to come to Christ.
[36:49] You can do it at your seat, but just go to Him. God is inviting you. God is proclaiming to you this morning so that you might come to Him.
[37:00] He doesn't just show you your sin to leave you in your sin. He shows you your sin so that you might run to Him. So that you might taste and see that He is good.
[37:11] And for the Christians, we study this gospel. We never grow tired of studying what God has done for us in Christ. And so this is the last reason God was behind it all.
[37:22] Oh, God was behind it all. Do you understand what we've been given? It leads me all the more to want to sing. Oh, I love that Christians are a singing people.
[37:33] You know why? Because God has put a new song in our mouth. Oh, before I was a Christian, I would go to church, I would sit there, and I would hear these people singing. I would hear these people raising their voices.
[37:44] I hated God. I didn't want anything to do with Him, but I wanted to sing like these people. I wanted to sing like these people. These people sing with their hearts.
[37:56] They love this God. There is a joy that Peter says is inexpressible and filled with glory. That's a joy that you can't take from somebody. That's a joy that has been given to them by a God who created them, loved them, sent His Son to die for them, and now says nothing.
[38:14] No one can snatch you out of my hand. They sing. They sing even in suffering. They sing even in the midst of trials because they have this joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.
[38:25] That's what God, that's what God Himself this morning, if you're here and you're not a Christian, that's what He has for you this morning is a joy. It's a joy that He's perfectly created and He's wrapped it in His Son and now He's delivering it to you as a gift so that you would believe by faith, you would trust in Him.
[38:43] Oh, have this joy this morning. Would you come and taste and see that the Lord is good? So, I love this quote, this reminder.
[38:54] We can have assurance this morning. There's not one square inch in the whole domain of our existence over which Christ, who is sovereign, meaning He's in control of it all, does not cry, Mine.
[39:07] That includes us. We're Jesus's. Nothing can snatch us out of His righteous, His good, loving hand. And so, we can be secure in His love.
[39:20] We can rest. Oh, if you're anxious, if you're anxious right now, what I would encourage you to do, if you're anxious by what you're reading, if you're anxious by the direction of our country, if you're anxious by what's going on in your own life, in your kids' lives, and those around you, if you're in the midst of financial turmoil and there's so many things going on, I would just encourage you when you have these moments, even tomorrow morning, just to study Jesus and His heart for you.
[39:46] The Bible says, you keep Him in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on you because He trusts you. So, let's study Jesus. Let's study His heart for us. Let's trust in His goodness for us.
[39:58] So, Christians, tomorrow, the beginning of our week, but tomorrow, the beginning of our work week, we can rise up whatever is before us and we can say, this is the day.
[40:10] This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Please join me in praying. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your goodness.
[40:21] I thank You for Your Word. I thank You that we can trust You. I thank You that You have shown Your love to us. You don't just simply say You love us, but You love us. You show us.
[40:33] This is the love of God in that while we were still sinners, while we still hated You. You came after us and You loved us. Oh, Lord, I pray for every person in this room.
[40:44] I pray for all those who are live streaming. I pray, Lord, that You would work in their hearts. I pray, Lord, that they would have a personal, real, miraculous experience through the power of Your Spirit.
[40:54] I pray that this morning, angels would rejoice because sinners will repent, because of Christians being reminded, Lord, once again, of our great salvation, Lord.
[41:05] Help us to rejoice. Help us to know You and trust You. Oh, Lord, we give You thanks. We give You all the glory. Fill our hearts with the joy of the Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
[41:19] You've been listening to a message at a Sunday celebration at Trinity Grace Church in Athens. For more information about Trinity Grace, please visit us from B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B