Let's begin our worship today by singing to God's praise.
We're singing in Psalm 27, in the Sing Psalms version.
Psalm 27, in the Sing Psalms version, verse 1 to verse 5.
The Lord's my Savior and my light, who will make me dismayed.
The Lord's the stronghold of my life.
Why should I be afraid?
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 5 to God's praise, and we stand to sing.
The Lord's my Savior and my light, who will make me dismayed.
The Lord's the stronghold of my life.
Why should I be afraid?
When evildoers threaten me
To take my life away
My hundred studies and my foes
Will stumble in that day
Although an army hands me in
My heart will feel no dread
Though one of this may shoot arise
I will lift up my head
One thing I'll plead before the Lord
And this I'll seek for ways
That I may come within God's eyes
And dwell there all my days
That on the beauty of the Lord
I constantly may kiss
And in His heart
May seek to know
Direction in His ways
For in His dwelling
He will keep me safe
With troubled days
Within His dead
He'll shelter me
And all of the Lord
And all of me raise
Now let's come to God in prayer
Let us pray
Our Father in heaven
We have been reminded of the purpose
Of coming to worship You
Of coming to gather us a people
To call upon Your name
And to hear Your word proclaimed to us
We come with that longing of the psalmist
That we may gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
Constantly
For we would recognize that we need You
And how we need You
In the world in which we live
And all that's going on around us
We pray for Your calmness
And Your peace upon us as a people
That as we come in Your name today
That You would still us
And help us to be still
And to know that You are God
So may Your word be blessed to each one of us
From the youngest to the oldest
That You would give us all ears
To hear what You are saying to us
And also give us eyes to see
Eyes to see that in all the chaos around us
That You are still God
And that You reign on high
And that the glory of Your name
Is still proclaimed and heard
Far and wide
And for that we thank You
We thank You that You are speaking to us
And that You minister to us
In all our different needs
So we pray that You will encourage us
In our homes and in our families
To be a people of prayer
To be a people who remember You
Not just as we come to worship You
For this time
But that day by day
We will go on in Your strength
And that we will seek Your face
On a daily basis
That we will seek to honour You
In our youth and into our old age
In all that we do
Whether it's in school or at home
Or in the workplace
Or throughout our communities
That You will give us words
To speak and share with one another
And to encourage one another
And ways to help one another
We do pray Your blessing on us all together
We thank You for all the young ones here today
We thank You for the Sunday school
The creche and the tweenies
We do pray Your blessing upon all that is done there
We pray for our day schools as well
And as they look forward to the holidays
In this coming week
We pray for Your blessing over everyone
Parents and families
And teachers and staff
That You will refresh and be with them all
Look after them and take care of them
So Lord continue with us in our worship now
Help us and guide us in all that we do
And hear our thanks and our praise to You
As we offer up
In the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
For the forgiveness of our sins
Amen
Well as we were singing in that psalm
We were reminded that it is such a good thing
To come and worship and praise God together
And it is good to come together
And worship God on a beautiful sunny day
When we feel His warmth
A day like today
What do you think?
Is it a beautiful sunny day today?
Hands up if you think it is a beautiful sunny day today
The sun is shining
And we feel the warmth of the sun
Hands up if you think that is true
No hands going up
My goodness
You must all think that it is just a terrible day outside
Where is the sun then?
Where is the warmth of the sun?
Do you think just because we don't see the sun
It is not shining?
Or do you think just because we maybe think
It is a horrible cold wet day outside
That there is no heat from the sun?
Well if we do we are mistaken
And in our study in 1st Peter
We are thinking about people who are looking around
And they don't think the weather is nice and sunny and warm
Because there are so many bad things going on around them
They think it is just all these storms and gales that keep coming
Because their eyes are very much just looking down
Even if you are walking into church this morning
You probably had your eyes down to the ground
To try and keep your face away from the rain and the wind
But actually if you lift up your eyes
And if you look around
You actually think to yourself
Well the sun must be there
Because if the sun wasn't there
It would be pitch black
If the sun wasn't there
We would be freezing cold
And just because it is cloudy and wet outside
Cloudy and wet outside doesn't mean that there is no sun
The sun is still there
And for that we have to be thankful
And I was reminded of that this week
Because on Tuesday I flew to Glasgow
And then on Thursday I came back on the plane from Glasgow
And both of these days were almost days like today
It was cloudy and wet and dull
And you are thinking to yourself
What a horrible day
But then as the plane went up into the sky
We came through the clouds
And what do you think I could see then?
I could see a blue sky
I could see the sun
The sun was there all the time
And as a great reminder to ourselves
Just as we are thinking about the people in Peter's day
Think of our own day to day as well
We can often focus on all that is wrong around us
And ask, where is God in all of this?
Why has he left us?
But he hasn't
Just like the sun is always there
No matter the weather
We still feel its warmth
Even though we might think it's cold
If the sun wasn't there
We would perish
But because the sun is there
We have life
And the same is true with God
There are times when we think
We can't see God
Or where is God
And especially when we are going through
Times of difficulty
But God is always there
Just like the sun is shining
We feel his warmth
We know his blessing
Even when the going is hard
So we look up today
We remind ourselves
Just because it's a wet
And windy and cloudy day
The sun still shines
And we remember that God
In the midst of all our troubles
And all our challenges
God is always there
Giving his warmth
Giving his light
And guiding us in all our ways
So may we trust him
In the beautiful sunny days
But also in the days
When it's wet and windy
May we trust him
With all our hearts
We're going to say
The Lord's prayer together now
Let's say the Lord's prayer
Our Father which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth
As it is in heaven
Give us this day
Our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom
The power and the glory forever
Amen
We're going to sing together
To God's praise
Once again we're singing
In Psalm 43
In the Scottish Psalter
Psalm 43
We're singing the whole of this Psalm
Page 264
Of the Psalm books
Judge me O God
And plead my cause
Against the ungodly nation
From the unjust
And crafty man
O be thou my salvation
And then verse 3
It says
O send thy light forth
And thy truth
Let them be guides to me
And bring me to thine holy hill
Even where thy dwellings be
We'll sing the whole of this Psalm
To God's praise
Amen
CHOIR SINGS
great crowd. Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David,
have mercy on me. And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more,
son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and said, call him. And they called the blind man,
saying to him, take heart, get up, he is calling you. And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and
came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, what do you want me to do for you? The blind man said to him,
Rabbi, let me recover my sight. And Jesus said to him, go your way. Your faith has made you well.
And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. And we'll turn to our second reading
in 1 Peter chapter 1. We'll take up our reading at verse 8 as we continue our study in this letter.
So 1 Peter, taking up our reading at verse 7, where we just remind ourselves what we were looking at
last week, the tested genuineness of our faith. We go through various trials. And faith is more
precious than gold. That perishes though it is tested by the fire, may be found to result in praise
and glory and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him,
you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is
inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
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. 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. And so on. And may God bless these readings from his word. Again, bow our heads
in a word of prayer. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, as we continue in our worship of you,
we thank you that you have already sent forth your light and your truth, that they have been what has
been the guide to your church down through all the generations. And even at times when churches and
people have wandered away from the truth, there is still your light shining brightly, guiding us back to
yourself and back to your way. There are times when we have to come just like Bartimaeus because their eyes
have been blinded, crying out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. We do come confessing our sins.
We acknowledge, O Lord, all that we have done past and even in the present, how we sin in so many ways.
And acknowledging that even as we go forward, we go forward as sinners in need of help, in need of
repentance. But assure that as we come to you, that you are the one who is able to help us to see
and to see all things, to see through eyes of faith what you have done for us, the things that we could
not do ourselves, the salvation we could not purchase for ourselves, the way to heaven that we could not
find by ourselves, the hope of eternal life that we could never afford or purchase in any way.
But we thank you that all has been done for us, that we have in Jesus Christ, the one who is the way,
the truth, and the life. And we thank you that we can come anew day by day and rejoice in the hope that
he is able to give. And so we pray for your blessing on us as a people, as we come to worship your name
this day, as we come to hear your word, that you would truly bless it to our souls. That even these
words that we have read of the Lord Jesus, that though we do not see him, we can believe in him
and rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible. May you give us all that joy in our hearts today, the joy
that only comes from you. And we pray that throughout our land and throughout this world,
from the rising of the sun to its setting, that no matter what situation people find themselves in,
no matter how dark our days may seem, that we rejoice that the Son of God is shining from on high,
that the warmth of your word, the blessing of your spirit is still ours to be had. And so we continue
to pray that you will send your light forth and your truth day after day, and that people will come
to rejoice in it. We thank you for all our homes and our families, and we thank you for the gift of
fellowship and prayer for one another. And we thank you that even as we come in prayer just now,
there may be many people on our minds, many situations that we are praying for, and hear the
prayers of all our hearts as we offer them up as one. And as we say amen together, Lord, we ask,
hear our prayers, and your will be done in all things. Remember those who need you in particular
ways. Remember those who are unwell, those who are laid aside at this time and struggling
in maybe many different ways, unseen to us, when there are issues of the heart and the mind
and even the soul. When there are troubles that surround us that no one else sees, we thank you
that you see and that you know, and that you are able to guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
And so we pray that you will surround your people, that you will uphold them, that you will strengthen
them as every need they have, that they will be able to cast their cares upon you, for you care for us.
We pray your blessing on those who are blind to you in these days. We pray, Lord, that there will be a
longing to see, and only you can give that longing to the hearts of the blind. So we pray for you to send
your spirit down upon us, an awakening, Lord, in our hearts and in our souls, and to seek the Lord
while he may be found, to call upon him while he is near. We pray, Lord, for your blessing over us
as communities and as islands. We thank you, Lord, for all that is done for us as a people, for every
service that we have to hand, for those who are on call in emergency services, for those who are working
in different aspects of our community life, seeking to benefit the good of all our people, for those who
are leaders over us and seek to direct us in the right path in these challenging days, financially and
in so many other different ways. We pray, Lord, for you to give wisdom from on high, for you to lead us
and to guide us. We pray for our nation and the nations of the world, and we see so many things
happening in our midst. We think today of that great tragedy in Donegal for the families who are
grieving and mourning there in a community that is so shocked and stunned by these events, a community
much like our own, where people will know one another, love one another and care for one another,
and I will be hurting so much. We pray, Lord, that you will surround them, that you will draw near to
them, that your presence will be known to them, that you would comfort us only you can and give healing
in the midst of all of their pain. We remember that for others throughout our world and greater
situations as we see too where nations are in conflict and so many atrocities happening. We think of
Ukraine so much in the news and continue to pray for peace and stability there, but we know that
throughout the world so many of your people are suffering in different ways. There is a darkness
that surrounds so many. There is a wickedness and an evil that is active in so many ways and places,
but we thank you that there is greater at work too, that you are in our midst and that you are greater,
that you are victorious. And we see that especially at the cross, where we see that even in the midst of
the darkness, in the middle of the day, and in all the sorrow and anguish that surrounded it,
that still there was life, and that you gave hope to all your people, that even in our darkest hour,
we can look and see the one who suffered in our place, but now the one who is risen. On that glorious
resurrection morning, the light of the gospel has resounded clearly from that day, so that even today as we
gather, we have the hope that is spoken of even here in Peter, the good news of the gospel preached to
many. And so we pray, Lord, for your word to go out with power, for it to convict and convert, for it to be
found precious to us all, and that we rejoice not just in the word, but the one who is the word, that we
would rejoice in Christ Jesus anew, and seek to follow him, and look to him with eyes fixed on him,
eyes of faith. So pardon our sins, and hear our thanks, receive our praise, and all we ask, we ask in his
precious name. Amen. Before we turn to look at 1 Peter, we'll again sing to God's praise in Psalm 19.
Psalm 19, singing at verse 7 to verse 11 in the Scottish Psalter, page 223 of the Psalm books.
God's law is perfect and converts the soul in sin that lies. God's testimony is most sure and makes
the simple wise. We'll sing from verse 7 to 11 to God's praise.
God's law is perfect and converts the soul in sin that lies. God's testimony is most sure and makes the
simple wise. The statutes of the Lord are right, and do rejoice the heart. The Lord's command is pure,
the love is crushed, and pours the mother. The God says, the love of the Lord our calling has not
The judges of the Lord are true, and righteous are together.
They more than gold, they much shine gold to be decided on.
And honey, honey, from the cold, that hopeth sweeter far.
More over me, thy servant born, that he is my true friend.
A great reward provided is for them that keep us safe.
We can turn together to our second reading there in the first letter of Peter.
1 Peter chapter 1.
And we can take up our reading again at verse 8.
Though you have not seen him, you love him.
Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible
and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls,
and so on.
We're continuing our study in this letter of Peter to a people who were scattered far
and wide and a people who were suffering in many different ways and situations.
And Peter here is speaking in verse 8 about their vision, what they're seeing, or maybe
what they're not seeing at this time, but the promise they have of what they will see.
The last time we were looking at verse 3 through to verse 7.
And we were reminded there of the trials that the people were going through,
but also of the hope that they had and the inheritance that they had to look forward to
at the revelation of Jesus Christ, at the coming of Jesus Christ,
the day when everyone will see the Lord Jesus.
But for now he is saying, you do not see him.
But he says, you love him.
So I begin today by asking you a question.
What is your eyesight like?
Mine is poor.
And from a very young age, I knew I would need to wear glasses to help me see.
If I take off my glasses, everything just suddenly becomes a blur.
And I can still remember the first pair of glasses I got and just how amazing it was to put them on
and to actually be able to see things clearly, everything that I'd been missing out on for so long.
The difference it makes when you're able to see properly.
And maybe that's something that many of you know or have experienced in life
through long or short-sightedness.
The need to put on glasses, otherwise everything before you is just blurry.
So as we dive into this letter of Peter,
and we see him addressing this people who were scattered far and wide,
living in a hostile world.
They were living in a time just like our own,
when the world is often hostile towards the gospel.
But here is Peter writing to them with a great purpose.
He's writing to them to help them, to encourage them.
But he's writing to them not just to survive or to get on day by day in a quiet way,
in a quiet sense, just to get through.
He's writing to them to help them to thrive,
to go on strengthened, equipped in life.
And in particular, he's writing to them to be on the mission of God together,
to remind themselves of this hope,
this inheritance that they have, that they can share,
even though they are going through their times of trial.
And they know that as they are living in this world,
to live for the Lord Jesus comes at a great cost.
And the same is true for ourselves so often today.
To live for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ often comes at a cost.
Maybe we don't feel it or know it in the same way as the people in Peter's day
or even many others throughout the world today.
We know too, though, that we experience difficulties and trials along the way.
And the difference between merely surviving or just getting by in this world
and actually thriving is often based on what we see and what our focus is on.
And so what Peter is getting at here in these verses is to have a clear vision,
a clear focus, not in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense.
And to look at the world around us, not through eyes that are dimmed by sin
and the darkness around us, but to look at things through eyes of faith.
To have eyes of faith.
To see, even as Bartimaeus saw, a vision restored through faith.
Not just seeing physically, but seeing Jesus and following Him in the way.
And so what is your vision like?
What is your eyesight like in this sense?
How are you seeing spiritually today?
Are you looking at things around you and just seeking to survive,
just to get through each day as it comes?
Or are you looking to Jesus and seeking to thrive and to live for Him?
That's a challenge the people in Peter's day had.
And it's a challenge to ourselves today.
And that is what Peter is encouraging them to hear.
To see Jesus in the midst of all their challenges.
To live in a world that has, yes, a different culture
to the way that we should be living in many ways.
But to live a life that we don't compromise our faith
because of the culture around us.
But also to say that we will not retreat from the culture around us.
We're not just going to go and back away from everything
that we see wrong in this world.
But we are to go forward as a people of faith.
With a vision of Christ.
And that being a vision that we long to share with others.
So it's helpful that Peter has the reality of life in mind here too.
Knowing the sufferings that the Christian will have.
But knowing too the great hope that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And to have that vision of Him is so helpful
as we walk through this life.
As we journey in this world.
As strangers, as we've exiled, as we've seen already in this letter.
This is not our permanent home.
We're just passing through.
But as we are passing through.
We can say to ourselves as someone once did.
If I must walk the path of suffering.
Well we can remember that our Saviour has walked it first.
And when we wonder will these trials, will they never end?
We can look to our Saviour's life.
And remember suffering but then glory.
As it says in verse 11 there.
The end of verse 11.
Inquiring into the person or time of the Spirit of Christ Jesus in them was indicating.
When he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
He suffered for us.
That our inheritance would be to be part of his glory too.
So we look to our Saviour.
And he is reminding us to keep our eyes on him.
To look to him.
So we're going to look at this in three different headings.
First of all, thinking of it all under the heading of seeing through eyes of faith.
Seeing first of all, we see what others can't.
Secondly, we see what has been done.
And then thirdly, we see what others long for.
So the first thing we see is we see what others can't.
As Peter is writing from his own experience.
And we looked at this in the first part of our study.
He was writing as one who had lived with the Lord Jesus Christ.
He had walked with him.
He had seen him.
He had seen the Lord and been with him.
And he'd gone through many different experiences.
Many different ups and downs in his own life.
But here he is now writing to our people who haven't seen him.
And we see that clearly in the change between verse 7 and verse 8.
He was saying in verse 7 that we are waiting the result of praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
That day when he is going to come and we are going to see him.
But then in verse 8 he says,
Though you have not seen him, you love him.
Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with a joy inexpressible.
So he knows what it's like to see Jesus.
But he's writing to our people who cannot see him.
And not seeing can often lead to questions.
When we are seeing something clearly in front of us, we understand it better.
But when we are not seeing something, even when someone is talking about it, we can struggle to understand.
Think about sitting in a classroom when you are learning.
And someone is describing a situation or something to you.
It's more difficult to understand when you are not actually seeing it.
But if you are taken to a place and you are shown something and you see it for your eyes, you begin to understand.
For example, the mechanics of how some kind of machine works.
You may be being explained to you how an engine works and you just, as it is being spoken of, you don't understand.
But when you see something in front of you, you begin to recognise the parts and what everything is doing.
So Peter is speaking having seen.
But he's writing to our people who have not seen.
And he's saying to them though, even though you do not see him, you love him.
And how can you love someone you haven't seen?
Well, he's trying to understand who he is.
And especially to understand through faith.
Peter here refocuses their attention, not on the sufferings going on around them, but on the one who has suffered for them.
He focuses their attention on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though you do not see him, you believe in him and rejoice with a joy inexpressible.
You don't see the physical Jesus in front of you today.
But you see of him.
You hear of him.
You know of him in other ways.
You know of him through his word.
You know of him through his providence.
You know of him through his creation.
We see the Lord in many different ways.
And though we do not see him face to face, we can still love him.
Because of the difference he has made in our lives.
And it is only through eyes of faith that we can see that.
We see what others cannot see.
We see things that we didn't see ourselves in the past because we were blind.
Until Jesus opened our eyes, we couldn't see or understand.
But by grace, he opens our eyes to love him.
To see him through eyes of faith.
To rejoice with a joy inexpressible.
And even though there are things that will seek to take that joy away from us.
Those trials that we go through.
Peter is saying, refocus.
Look to Jesus.
Trust in him.
Perhaps the greatest example of this kind of situation was Thomas.
Another of the disciples.
And after the resurrection, you read about it in John chapter 20.
Thomas was there with, or he wasn't there when Jesus appeared to the other disciples.
And Thomas said, unless I see, I will not believe.
And a week later, he saw.
And what did he say?
He said, my Lord and my God.
But what was Jesus' response to Thomas in John 20?
He said, have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Who was Jesus speaking to?
Who did he have in mind?
Those people Peter was writing to scattered far and wide.
Those who had not seen him yet had not, but yet believed.
And he's saying blessed.
They are blessed.
He's writing to his church down through all the generations.
Church going through, God's people going through all their trials.
We have not seen him, yet they have believed and are blessed.
He's writing to ourselves today.
We have not seen him, yet we have believed through eyes of faith.
And we are blessed.
So what helps us to see in all of these situations?
It's the eyes of faith.
Otherwise, we cannot see.
I remember in school, and perhaps many of you experienced this as well,
either through school or through having medicals for work.
Part of the test you would go through would be an eyesight test, but also a colorblind test.
And you'd be shown, maybe you opened a book that had all kinds of different colored dots on it,
and there'd be a number or a shape that you had to recognize.
And if you weren't colorblind, it was easy to see.
You could see the numbers, maybe 25 or 16, and amongst all the dots.
But to a colorblind person, there's nothing there.
They cannot see.
That colorblindness is hiding everything from them.
It's impossible to see if they're colorblind.
It doesn't mean it's not there.
It is.
And you could say to the person, look, it's there on the page,
but because of their colorblindness, they just cannot see it.
And it's the same when it comes to seeing Jesus.
When we know him, we see him.
Because he's opened our eyes.
We've got eyes of faith.
But all around us is a people who cannot.
It's the gift of faith that enables us to see.
And so what's our focus?
During a time of recession and depression many years back,
similar to the situation our own nation is finding ourselves in,
or the world is finding itself in,
there was a man who was asked to go and speak to a room of businessmen
to try and get them to refocus in the midst of all of the challenges.
And the man who was invited in to speak,
he brought in a sheet of white paper,
he put it up on a board,
and he just proceeded to do a black dot with a pencil.
He then asked the men in the room,
what do you see?
The first person replied, I see a black spot.
The second person replied, I see a black spot.
And so it went on, one after another,
they all said, we see a black spot.
The man, he had expected this.
And he turned to them and said,
yes, there is a black spot,
but none of you are seeing the big sheet of white paper.
Your focus is on the small instead of the greater.
And that's really what Peter is saying here too.
He's saying to us,
our focus can be on the troubles and the trials of life.
And that can be just like the dot.
But the greater picture is that God has a plan and a purpose
for better for all of his people.
So we are to see through eyes of faith,
things that others cannot see.
We see through eyes of faith,
to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
But we see too, as we go on here,
we see through eyes of faith,
what has been done.
The eyes of faith help us to see clearly
what has been done for us.
How do you see yourself in life?
What do you see in your life that you're happy with,
that you're satisfied with?
Or what do you see in your life
that's maybe still lacking?
Sometimes we are not seeing clearly
and our focus is wrong.
Just like the men in the room
who all they could see was a black dot.
Perhaps our focus is on the tiny thing in life
that seems like the biggest issue in our life.
Instead of focusing on the greater issue
of who God is.
It would be easy for those who Peter was writing to
to just focus on the struggles
and the problems around them.
And to then be tempted just to forget about God
and to find peace and joy
in the things of this world.
To begin to think that God isn't with us.
We're going to have to go this alone
and sort all this out for ourselves.
God has disappeared out of you.
He's not even with us
in our greatest times of need.
We're going to have to achieve our own salvation
or fix eternity for ourselves.
But verse 10 goes on here to say
that we see this salvation.
We see what has been done for us
through eyes of faith.
It begins in verse 9 really
obtaining the outcome of your faith
the salvation of your souls.
What has been done for us
through Christ on the cross.
He paid a price that we could never pay
for the salvation of our souls.
And concerning this salvation
the prophets who prophesied about the grace
that was being to be yours
searched and inquired carefully in the scriptures
inquiring what person or time
the spirit of Christ in them was indicating
when he predicted the sufferings of Christ
and the subsequent glories.
The time of the sufferings of Christ.
We see through eyes of faith
what has been done for us.
But do we believe it?
That Christ died for our sins?
That he rose again on the third day?
That he is coming again?
Can we better anything
that he has done for us?
No.
We could never achieve any of it for ourselves.
But maybe for some it just sounds too simple.
Sounds too easy.
We live in a world
where everything is instant and quick.
Fast food is just becoming more and more.
Microwave meals
so that everything is done quickly.
Well back in the day
when they first started
bringing these kinds of things out
a company had produced
an instant cake mix.
You see it more and more now.
Everything is in one packet.
You pour it into a bowl.
Mix it together.
And it's all done for you.
Well when they first started
producing these things
a company had done this
and the instructions said
just add water and bake.
But they weren't selling.
Nobody seemed interested in them.
They were buying public.
We were uneasy about this.
A mix that all you had to do
was add water.
And so the people thought
the company thought
we've got to do something about this.
So they added another instruction.
They changed the formula.
And instead of just add water
they said add an egg
and water and bake.
And all of a sudden
people began to buy.
It became very popular.
Sales jumped dramatically.
It just sounded too easy initially.
And so they changed the formula.
It was too good to be true.
And in many ways
that's the way the gospel is to some as well.
The gospel tells us
the good news preached
that all we have to do is believe.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
and you will be saved.
But it can't be that easy
can it?
Surely there's something
we have to add into the mix
ourselves
to make a difference
to make it right.
Well the gospel is saying
no.
All you have to do
is believe.
Faith
is the gift of God.
It's not of anything
we've done ourselves.
It is the gift
we receive
through faith.
The salvation
of our souls.
The Bible is clear.
We're not saved
by anything
we add ourselves
into the mix.
We are saved
through faith.
Through the sufferings
of Christ.
And then
the subsequent
glories.
Unlike the cake
manufactured
God doesn't change
anything
in this formula.
It's the same
today
as it ever was.
Jesus.
But how is your vision?
How is your eyesight
when it comes to this?
Are you still thinking
but
surely I've got to do
something.
Surely there's something
I need to do
to finish off
this formula
this mix.
No.
It's all
done.
So how do you
see your life
and what is
your focus?
Well Peter
is saying
our focus
is to be on Christ
and his finished work.
He has done it all.
It is complete.
An old man
was once sharing
with a young friend
about his own
experience
in life.
Looking back
over many years
he said
son
I'd like to tell you
about my life.
He began by saying
I was born
into this world
as a sinner.
I was baptized
soon after I was born
and I became
a baptized sinner.
As I grew older
I wandered away
from the church
and found pleasure
in the things
of this world
and I became
a sinful sinner.
However
he said
I began to realize
that my life
needed to change
and I needed
to do something
and so I started
attending church
and he said
I became
a church
attending sinner.
Then he said
one happy day
my life
was transformed
when I accepted
Jesus Christ
as my own
personal
saviour
and I became
a saved
sinner.
You know
son
he said
a saved sinner
is the only kind
of sinner
that can find
real joy.
And the Lord
will welcome
him
into heaven.
Does that
life
experience
does it resonate
with you?
Maybe that's the way
your life
has been
to baptize
going into the world
and going your own way
becoming a sinful
sinner.
Maybe then
starting to come back
to church
and thinking
that's what's going
to make the difference.
But you're still
just a church
attending sinner.
sinner.
The key is
seeing Jesus
and believing
in him
loving him
with all your heart
still a sinner
but becoming
a saved sinner.
When we see
what has been
done
for us
that is what
we are to look
upon.
That's what can
fill us with joy
inexpressible
through faith
through eyes
of faith
seeing
what Christ
has done.
So our eyes
are to be fixed
on him.
The final thing
we see here
then is
what others
long for.
As you look
at verse
12
well
10 through to 12
really
but verse 12
it says
it was revealed
to them
that they were
serving not
themselves
but you
speaking about
the prophets
of old
and the things
that have now
been announced
to you
through those
who preach
the good news
to you
by the Holy Spirit
sent from heaven
things into which
angels
long
to look.
In these verses
from verse 10
to 12
there's
people
various people
and even the angels
looking to see
what is being said
in this word.
And what's the
greatest gift
anyone has ever
given to you?
There may be
many things
in life
that you
hold precious
gifts
that have
been given
to you
that are
precious
maybe a
piece of
jewelry
a perfume
keys to a
car
an item
of technology
there are
many things
that we can
appreciate
in life
and we
give great
thanks for
well Peter
is reminding
a people
here
a people
who had
very little
in the sense
of gifts
in the way
that we enjoy
so much
but he is
reminding them
that all
that they
have
is right
before them
and for
ourselves
today
the greatest
gift
we can
have
is right
before
us
the word
of God
and I'm
sure at
some point
along the
way
you've
received
a bible
it may
have been
in Sunday
school
or school
may have
been through
the Gideons
distributing them
it may have
been through
a family
member
or a friend
who's given
you a bible
and maybe
written a little
message in the
front of it
it's lovely
to receive
them
and why
has that
person
given it
to you
why have
you received
it
because the
one who is
giving it
knows
the difference
it can
make
it is the
word of
God
that can
help us
to see
and to
truly
see
and it
comes
with a
love
and a
longing
that you
would
search
and know
the
Christ
that it
speaks
of
just as
Peter
is writing
to them
in the
midst
of their
trials
it's not
so their
focus will
be on
the
trials
but that
they lift
their eyes
and see
Jesus
in the
midst
of it
and that
is the
longing
that we
have
for one
another
too I
hope
that we
would come
to see
Jesus
when you
see it
spoken of
here
concerning
this
salvation
the prophets
who prophesied
about the
grace that
was to be
yours
searched
and inquired
carefully
they went
and they
looked
into this
word
the question
is
have you
inquired
and searched
diligently
this word
and what
do you
see in
it
do you
just
hear it
and put
it on
the shelf
to the
next
time
or will
you take
it away
and search
diligently
and even
like
Bartimaeus
of old
cry out
to Jesus
son of
David
have
mercy
on me
help
me
that I
might
see
give
me a
vision
of faith
to see
in the
midst
of everything
in life
how precious
you are
if you
are seeking
a way
in this
world
to know
eternal
life
and the
blessing
of Christ
come
and search
this word
diligently
and don't
let it
go
don't put
it on
the shelf
take it
out and
read it
through
and see
to yourself
what it
says about
the way
to life
and the way
everlasting
it is
found
in Christ
Jesus
so if
you are
seeking
seek
inquire
diligently
even though
you do
not see
him
you can
come
to love
him
and rejoice
with joy
inexpressible
obtaining
the salvation
of your
souls
the greatest
thing you
can ever
know
the joy
of Christ
and if
you are a
Christian
today
what will
you do
with this
word
are you
going to
take it
home
and put
it back
on the
shelf
until the
next time
we meet
or is it
your meat
day by
day
is it
your sustenance
day by
day
is it
your longing
and your
desire
not just
that you
will know
it better
but that
others
will know
it
that others
will come
and see
the beauty
of Christ
it's a story
told of a
missionary
who was a
physician
who went
to China
and was
working in
the hospitals
there
he was an
eye specialist
and back
in the days
when he went
there many
people were
blind
because of
cataracts
they couldn't
see
and one
man came
to this
physician's
hospital
and was
cured
of his
blindness
and he
rejoiced
that he
was able
to see
and he
went away
rejoicing
well a
fortnight
later
48
blind
men
came
with him
to the
doctor
out of
the
wilderness
out of
the
wilds
they
came
to them
holding
onto
a rope
the one
who had
been given
his vision
back at
the front
leading
the way
leading
the other
48 blind
men
behind
him
holding
onto
the rope
he brought
them
to the
physician
who was
able
to cure
they had
walked
250
miles
why did
he do
it
because he
knew
who could
help them
to see
he knew
who could
give them
their vision
back
and Christian
today
if your eyes
have been
opened
if you have
eyes of
faith
you have a
great gift
to give
to others
to say
come
see a
man who
knows
everything
about
could
this be
the
Christ
may we
come
and see
through
eyes
of
faith
the
things
that
others
can't
the
things
that
have
been
done
for
us
and
the
things
that
others
long
for
to
see
as
Bartimaeus
saw
to
see
Jesus
with
eyes
of
faith
and
follow
him
on
the
way
yes
there
are
many
challenges
around
us
there
are
many
troubles
and our
focus
can so
often
be
on
that
but
let's
see
the
greater
let's
lift
let's
see
Jesus
and the
hope
that he
gives
in the
midst
of
everything
and
rejoice
with joy
inexpressible
that he
has gone
before us
to show
the way
to eternal
life but to
lead us
in that
way
everlasting
let us
pray
our father
in heaven
we do
rejoice
in your
goodness
to us
for all
that you
have done
for us
and that
even though
we do
not see
you
we can
love you
with all
our hearts
and rejoice
with a joy
inexpressible
that comes
through
seeing
through
eyes
of
faith
we
acknowledge
our
blindness
so often
and like
Bartimaeus
of old
we cry
Jesus
son of
David
have
mercy
on me
and help
us to
see
the beauty
of Christ
and all
his glory
for we
ask it
in his
precious
name
Amen
we're going
to conclude
by singing
to God's
praise
in Psalm
25
the first
version of
the psalm
in the
Scottish
Psalter
page
231
to thee
I lift
my soul
O Lord
I trust
in thee
my God
let me
not be
ashamed
nor foes
triumph
for me
we'll sing
from verse
1
to the end
of verse
5
to God's
praise
没
on
let me
not
be
ashamed
Now to save for me.
Work down the day of日,
говорить for tooth shape,
Ochocam,
The Lord, who stand with thy cross transgress, let shame upon them fall.
Don't take thy grace, O Lord, thy past, Lord, teach thou me.
And do thou lead me in my truth, and my teacher be.
For thou art all the dust, to thee salvation's end.
And I have all thee all the day, expecting to attain.
After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my left.
We'll close with the benediction.
Now may grace, mercy, and peace from God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, rest upon and
abide with you all, now and forevermore.
Amen.