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Bro. Bill Nichols
And I'll go back out to verse six and pick it up, even though we covered several verses there, and I'll pick back up at verse 11. And I'm gonna do that for continuity, so you'll know what it is that they are interested in.
But as we begin, or before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to pray. Most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for allowing us to come together once again, person to person, so that we may see one another while we worship you.
We thank you for giving us your son that came into the world, became a man, so that he could die and be resurrected again, so that he could bring salvation to us. And it's that salvation that we are so extremely thankful for.
Above everything else that you have given us, your son and the salvation that he brings is clearly the most important. Other things are passing. Other things, earthly things, will pass away. But your son and the salvation that he brings will never pass away.
Thank you for all that. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. So I'm gonna read the first, oh, I'm gonna read the rest of the chapter, but not all at once. First Peter chapter one, verse six. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold, that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and the honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love.
In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Now that's where we left off last week.
Today we will pick up with verse 10 and 11. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what matter of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify when it testified beforehand of the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow.
Now the Old Testament prophets studied their own writings. Now why do you think they studied their own writings? Why do you think the Old Testament prophets would waste time studying what they prophesied?
Does that not seem like a waste of time? You wrote it. You should understand it, shouldn't you? Well, you must understand this. Oh, it said, not only did it said searched, but it said searched diligently.
They went over it with like a fine tooth comb. They studied. They studied diligently. Now, the Old Testament prophets studied their own writings in order to know more about the promised salvation. You must understand that all true prophets, both those in the Old Testament, as well as those in the New Testament, and not necessarily, or certainly not, those who simply claim to be prophets.
All true prophets knew that they were serving as the mouthpieces of God. And you might've noticed, I put that in the past tense. You know what I tried to signify by that? There are no true prophets today prophesying.
They faithfully repeated what he had told them to say. And though they believed and were personally saved from their sin by that faith, that faith that God gave them, that faith that was Jesus's faith, or in the case of the New Testament, prophets had already given them.
The Old Testament prophets, by their faith that God would provide them, the faith and the prophecy. The Old Testament, New Testament prophets, he had already provided that faith, but they could not fully understand what was involved in the life and the death of Jesus.
By the time Jesus was born, the Jews had come to understand the concept of the glory and the honor of the coming Messiah. In fact, they thought he was gonna come into Jerusalem riding a great white horse, carrying a sword, ready to liberate them from the Romans.
That's what the majority of the Jews expected to see in their Messiah when he came. They expected to see him come in glory and in honor. But most of them totally missed the concept of his suffering and his misery, his suffering and his humility.
They expected to see a rider on a white horse, and what they saw was a rider coming into town on a donkey. They expected to see someone that would come in and destroy the Roman Empire. And what they saw was a man that the Roman Empire thought they destroyed.
They tried to destroy him. The Jews tried to destroy him, most of them, but they didn't. But they totally missed the concept of his suffering and his humility. Let's go to Numbers 24, verse 17, and look at what they expected to see.
Talking about the Messiah, you'll see it quickly. Numbers 24, verse 17. Numbers 24, verse 17. I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not nigh. That means not close. There shall come a star out of Jacob.
A scepter shall rise out of Israel and shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Sheth. What's he talking about? He's talking about the Messiah that is coming in glory and power, the star out of Jacob, the Messiah.
The coming of the Messiah in power and glory. That's what they saw. That's what the writer of Numbers saw or tried to verify. And now look at Hebrews 11, verse 13. This chapter is referred to as the hall of faith, the great hall of faith where Paul is listing all the people that had promises from God that could see them off in a distance, but hadn't been totally fulfilled in their time.
People like Abraham and David and Rahab and all the people that were mentioned in the hall of faith. These all died. Did I tell you what verse? Hebrews 11, picking up at verse 13. He's named a bunch of people already.
And he says, all these died, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
They still believed, even though all of the things that were promised to them had not yet come into fruition. And now one more. And this one is also in the New Testament. This was Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and picking up at verse eight.
This is one of the most loved passages in the Bible. It's the passage of Paul on love. When you see the word charity, you can think the word love. 1 Corinthians 13, eight. Charity never faileth. There should be tongues.
I'm sorry, I jumped a line. Charity never faileth. But whether there are prophecies, they shall fail. Now, what does that say? Prophesying will cease. Brother David talked about that last week. If there's anybody that claims today to be a prophet, you might be careful about what you hear.
They may be prophesying, but they're not prophesying from the power of God who is giving them the power to make the prophecies if they're making them today. But whether there are prophecies, they shall fail.
Whether there are tongues, they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. Now, Paul is back talking about himself right now, prophets of his time.
We're prophesying. We're prophesying in part. We're not prophesying everything. But that which is perfect, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away with. That's the verse that Brother David used to insist that tongue speaking cease as well as prophesying cease.
If prophecy is being talked about in predicting, talking about events that have not yet taken place, if prophecy is used just to mention the word preaching, that would be different. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be taken away.
When I was a child, I speak as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put childish things away. For now we see through a glass darkly. But then, face to face, now I know in part.
But then I shall know even as I also am known. Now, about a faith, hope, charity, these three. But the greatest of these is charity. Now, what's happening here? Even Paul, the most scholarly of all the apostles, no doubt he is the most educated apostle that we had.
He was also the most prolific of the New Testament prophets. He wrote more prophecies than any other New Testament prophet. Peter made prophecies, John made prophecies, but not like Paul did. Paul, dozens and dozens of prophecies.
But even Paul, the most scholarly and the most prolific of all of the New Testament prophets did not fully understand all that the Lord inspired him to write. So there's a reason for the prophets to study the prophecies.
I'm gonna go back and look a little bit more at verse 10 of 1 Peter. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. The grace that should come unto you.
God is by nature gracious. And God has always been gracious. God is gracious now. And God was gracious even in the time under the conditions of the old covenant. The old covenant was conditional. If you would do this, then God would do that.
If you will obey, then God will give you these things. But even in the Old Testament, God was gracious. I've got an example of that. And this is probably my favorite example of God's graciousness being criticized.
It's in the book of Jonah. It's in the chapter that I always wondered why that was even doing it. What that was even doing here in the first place. You got Jonah, the story of a guy that is called by God to go witness to the Ninevites.
And he doesn't like the mission. And so he tries to run away. And he tries to run away and he fails in his running away. And he is swallowed up by a great fish, spit out on the land at the very same place he left.
And given the exactly the same command, go and tell the Ninevites. So he reluctantly goes and tells the Ninevites. He didn't say, if you will do these great things, if you'll do a lot of things, God will be good to you.
He said, in 40 days, God's going to destroy you. That was his message. His message was, in 40 days, God's going to destroy you. He was delighted to give that message. But he was not delighted at what happened.
The Ninevites all repented. The greatest revival that ever happened. Every man, woman, and child repented. And God did not destroy them in the 40 days. So Jonah goes up on the hill and pouts. And here's what he said at the beginning of the pouting session.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly. And he was very angry. Why was Jonah angry? Because he told the Ninevites, God's going to destroy you in 40 days. And God didn't. And then, I guess he was angry at God too.
And he prayed unto the Lord. And he said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying when I was yet in my country? When you first called me, isn't that what I said when you first called me? Therefore, I fled before unto Tarshish.
For I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil. Now, God was much more gracious than Jonah was. Much more gracious, probably, than Jonah could even imagine.
Well, maybe not. Jonah did imagine he'd be that gracious, didn't he? That's why he didn't want to go do it. He didn't want to go do it because he knew that there was a chance that the Ninevites would repent.
He didn't want to see the Ninevites repent and be saved. He wanted to see the Ninevites destroyed because they were his enemy country. But now the prophets foretold of an even greater exhibit of grace than what they had ever known.
The prophets yearned for the day that we can now see approaching. And I went to Isaiah 61 to read something. I don't have time to do it all, but if you want a clear understanding of what's going on, sit down, pick up your Bible, go to chapters 59, 59 of Isaiah, read 59, 60, and 61, and you'll get a good clear picture of what's going on right now.
But we're going to pick it up at 61 verse 10. Now, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me. I probably need to tell you to take it's the Messiah speaking, not Isaiah. This is Isaiah speaking for the Messiah.
The spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that morn in Zion, beauty, beauty, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Now, what is being projected here is there's going to be an infinite grace to his chosen, the elect. And there's going to be infinite vengeance to the ones he did not choose, the non-elect. Now, if you remember, when we were studying Luke, we got to Luke chapter four and we come to a passage where Jesus went back to his hometown and he was called upon to speak or to read to the congregation that met in the synagogue.
And I'm going to pick up Luke chapter 14. I'm sorry, Luke chapter four, verse 14, Luke chapter four, verse 14. And Jesus returned in the power of the spirit unto Galilee. And there went out of fame of him throughout all the region roundabout.
And he taught in their synagogues being glorified of all. And when he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read.
So he's going to read before the synagogue. And they deliver unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable ear of the Lord.
And he closed the book and gave it again to the minister and sat down. And all, and the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened upon him. Now, why do you think that they're all still staring at him?
Because he stopped in mid-sentence. He stopped, it was not a period there, there's a comma there. They were silent for a few minutes, waiting for him to read the next, after the comma. He didn't pause after the comma, he stopped, he closed the book, he sat down and he said this, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Now, what was the difference between what Isaiah said and what Jesus read of vengeance? The acceptable day of the Lord, that was there. Jesus has come, he has presented himself as the Messiah, but the day of vengeance and the day of greatest reward is yet in the future.
That's what he's telling us, there is a day coming that is even more than the day, than this day. Okay, back to Peter, chapter one, verse 11. Searching what, actually that probably should have said who, searching what, or what manner of time, that's asking when, the spirit of the Lord, which was in them did signify when he testified beforehand of the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow.
So where are we? Two questions, who would that person be? And when would he come? These are two questions that the Old Testament prophets searched their prophecies to understand. These were the two questions they were looking for.
Who was the Messiah going to be? And when was he going to come? They didn't even know enough to ask themselves this, is he going to come in one coming or in two? Is he going to come in power and glory, or is he going to come in humility as a servant and then come again in power and glory?
All they knew is there was a time coming when both he would be presented as the day of glory honor and glory, and also as a day of judgment. And when the day of judgment comes, it is a good time to be a believer.
And when the day of judgment comes, it is a bad time to be a non-believer. Well, the spirit of Christ who was in them, Jesus Christ in the form of, in the person of the Holy Spirit took up residence within the writers of the Old Testament, enabling them to write about the glorious salvation that will come to completion in the future.
I got one more thing to say about the Old Testament prophecies. This from Peter, 2 Peter 1, verse 19. That confused me. I had looked three times and said, I can't believe I didn't see this in the passage I read.
It's not 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 2 Peter 1, 19. We have also a more sure word of prophecy. He's talking about not what he saw and beheld on the mountain, where unto you do well to take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day of dawn and the day star arise in your heart, knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old times by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. So all of this prophesying that we're reading about the true prophecies in both the Old and the New Testament, the true prophecies were spoken by holy men as God spake to them, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Verse 12 of 1 Peter, chapter one. Unto whom it was revealed, but not unto themselves, but unto us. They did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, things which angels desire to look into.
The Old Testament prophets wrote of the coming salvation in verses 10 and 11. They knew that he was a future savior who would come and they were really writing for people on the other side of his coming, people on the other side of the advent of Christ.
Now, the New Testament apostles and preachers of the gospel had the privilege of proclaiming that most of the prophecies that were written by the Old Testament prophets had come to pass. And I did say most, I didn't highlight that in my notes, but I want you to highlight it in yours.
Most prophecies. What prophecies have not taken place yet? The day of vengeance, the day of judgment, that hasn't happened yet. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6, verse one, we then as workers together with him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain.
For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted and in a day of salvation. I have succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. That is Paul speaking in Corinthians.
Now, what has come? The day of salvation has come. Has the day of judgment come yet? Not at that time. The day of judgment still hasn't come, but it's in the future. Knowing that the day of salvation is here and knowing that the day of judgment is at hand, more in hand now I think than ever, we come to verse 13.
Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's still in the future. Colossians 3 says this, verse two.
Colossians 3, verse two. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth. Well, you are dead and your life is hid in Christ, with Christ in God. And then verse four. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then you shall also appear with him in glory.
So Paul tells us in Colossians, set your affection on things above. When Christ appears, you shall appear with him. If you have done what? Set your affections on the things above, not on the things of the earth.
As obedient children, we're back in Peter again. As obedient children, not fashioning yourself according to the former lust in your ignorance. Now, obedience is a conscious act. It's a conscious act of will, but it's something that can only be exercised by a true child of God.
You can't be obedient to God, really, unless you're one of his children. You can try to be, but you'll be like all other people who simply try. You'll be unsuccessful. And you'll be unsuccessful until you recognize that you do belong to him.
Verse 15, but as he which hath called you is holy, so you be ye holy in all manner of conversation. That's not what you're talking about. That's how you live. Because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy.
How many of you guys think you're holy? Well, it depends on what you think holy is. If you think holy means set apart for God's work, then you are. And how long have you been holy? As long as you've been set apart.
How long have you known you're holy? And when he told you, you know you're set apart for his work only after he tells you. Paul, in this verse, is not talking about legal requirements. He is only reminding Christians of the responsibility, both in your inner life and in your outer walk.
Absolute holiness can never be achieved in life. In all areas should be in the process of becoming completely conformed to God's perfect will and his holy will. So even though you can't reach the state where you are actively 100 totally separated and working toward and obeying God, you certainly can try to do so.
You can do the best you can to, in all areas of life, be in the process of becoming completely conformed to God's perfect and holy will. That's what he's talking about when he says, be holy for I am holy.
Holiness defines the Christian's new conduct and his new nature. In contrast with his pre-salvation lifestyle, the reason for practicing in a holy matter of living is that Christians are associated with a holy God and must treat him and his word with respect and reverence.
We therefore glorify him best by trying to be like him. Matthew 5, 48 says, be ye therefore perfect, even as your father, which is in heaven, is perfect. Any of you perfect? Not me. Leviticus 11, 44, for I am the Lord your God.
I shall therefore, ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves. Ye shall be holy for I am holy. Neither shall you devour yourself with any manner of creeping things that creepeth on the earth. For I am the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God.
Ye shall therefore be holy for I am holy. Verse 17, and if you call on the father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. This is another way of saying if you're a Christian, the believer who knows God and knows that he judges the works of all his children fairly will respect God.
And his evaluation of his life and will yearn to honor his holy father. So what about it? Are you citizens here or are you just aliens? You're just visitors. If you're just visitors, then you should live according to his absolute standards.
Not as strangers to him, but as strangers to the world's shifting situational ethics. You should live by the rules that God said as best you can because those are the only true rules. Not try to conform to what's going on today because the world's ethics changes.
For as much as you know that we were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Children of obedience should be strangers to their former empty ways of life handed down from their forebears since they have been redeemed. And that redemption is a purchasing from the marketplace of sin, not a ransom paid with silver or gold, things that perish, but with the priceless blood of a perfect lamb.
Verse 24, who barely was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in this last time for you. I him do you believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God, seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth, the word, through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren.
See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. As trials refine faith, so does obedience to God's word refine character. One who has purified himself by living according to God's word has discovered the joy of obedience.
It's not just a task to be obedient to God. It should be a joy. And when you come to the point that you've been obedient, you will begin to enjoy, you will discover the joy of your obedience. And a changed life should also be evidenced by a changed relationship, not only with God, but with all of God's other children.
All evil thoughts and feelings regarding one's brothers and sisters in Christ must be removed. His followers are to love deeply from the heart. This kind of loving, agapeo, can only come from a changed heart, from one whose motives are pure and who seeks to give more than he takes.
Being born again, not from corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men as the flowers of grass. And the grass withereth, and the flowers thereof fadeth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever.
And this is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you. And Peter supports that exhortation in verse 22, by quoting Isaiah 46 through eight. And the voice said, cry. And he said, what shall I cry?
All flesh is grass, and all the goodness thereof is as a flower of a field. And the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flowers fadeth, but the word of our God stands forever.
What's that saying is, everything that is born of perishable seed withers and fails, but God's word stands forever. And that's the only thing in the physical world that does stand forever, except let us pray.
Most gracious, bringing us into this facility where we can study your word and worship you. And we give thanks again to you for giving us the technology that allows us to reach out and touch the people that are unable to be here for whatever reason.
Bless us and keep us. Go through the other services today. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.