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What I'd like to do this morning is begin a four-part series. And I've named it, Redeemed with the Precious Blood of Christ. And we're going to break this down one verse at a time. We're not looking at a lot of verses.
We're only looking at four verses from 1 Peter. But I believe it deserves us to go through carefully. So our Scripture text this morning is from the book of 1 Peter 1. Chapter 1 of 1 Peter. And I would like to ask you to stand in honor of God's Word as we read these verses of Scripture.
Wonderful verse of Scripture from the Apostle Peter, beginning with verse 18, reading through 21. Hear the word of the living God. Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you, who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Let's pray and seek God's face within this hour and ask the Lord to help us because we are too weak. We don't have the resources as He does, but He has the resources. Oh God, our Father, You're the Father of glory.
You're the God and Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, I would ask that as we beseech You this hour, what we desire most of all is a visit from You, to walk amidst us, among us.
Lord, Your presence is really all that matters because, Father, there's nothing good of us. It's not by our power or by our strength, it's by Your power and by Your Spirit. So, Father, it's only by Your Holy Spirit, truly, and only by You, oh Lord, can we see or even hear or even obey Your Word.
Thy Word is truth. Lord, sanctify us with Your Word, we pray. Change us this day to be more like Jesus, and if we're not changed and born again of the Spirit of God, I pray that this will be a day of visitation for those who have not come to know You in a personal way.
Father, only as we fix the gaze of our soul upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the One, Your Son, and who You have honored, You've raised from the dead, Father, that You're well pleased in. So, Father, in Christ we hide ourselves.
May all glory be unto the Father, the Son, and the Spirit as we continue to worship You within this hour, and we ask these things in the name, above all names, Jesus Christ, amen and amen. Thank you, you can be seated.
In a way of introduction, I'd like to speak a little bit about an overview of a book, and I'd like, if you, in your devotional time, read it, if I'm not mistaken, it only has four chapters. It is the book of Ruth, the book of Ruth.
Now, we're talking about redemption, and the theme of the book of Ruth is a kinsman redeemer, that Jesus Christ is our kinsman's redeemer. Let me give you an overview of that. And again, I don't know if you've ever thought of this, but out of the 66 books of the inspired books that's compiled as the Bible, there are only two books in the entire Bible, and out of those 66 books that are named after women,.
It's interesting, isn't it?
Only two, and one is the book of Esther, and the other is the book of Ruth. Only two that's named after women. What's interesting is that we do not know who wrote either book. Some has mentioned that possibly during that period of time of the story of Ruth is during the time of the judges, could be very possibly could have been Samuel the prophet that wrote it, but we're not for sure.
But nevertheless, the story of Ruth occurred in the days when the judges governed Israel. You see this in Ruth chapter 1 verse 1, and the time period of the time of Ruth is roughly in 1370 to 1041 BC before Jesus Christ was born.
According to Judges chapter 2 verse 16 through 19 bridges the time from the judges to Israel's monarchy. Now within the setting in the book of Ruth, now this is just an overview, so we understand the story of redemption.
This is the reason why I mentioned Ruth. Now I think this is very important. During that period of time that Ruth lived in was a very dark and troubled time for a young lady by the name of Naomi. Naomi, young lady, and to tell you a little bit of what happened.
Now a famine as you well know, a famine that God allowed to happen in the land of Juna drives her and her family from the land in Israel and her husband and sons die in a foreign country, as you well know the story.
If you don't know within those four chapters, I think it'd be worth your while to read this wonderful story. But when she hears that there's food in her homeland again, she makes her way back. One daughter-in-law leaves Naomi to find a new husband.
Okay, the other swears an oath of loyalty to Naomi and you can read this in Ruth chapter 1 verse 16 and 17, the word of God says this, where I go, where you go, I'm sorry, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people and your God my God and where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me and worse, if anything but death part you from me. That was a covenant swearing that she made.
That was a true commitment. Now keep in mind this woman's name is Ruth and even though Ruth is a foreigner in the land of Israel, a wealthy farmer, a wealthy farmer by the way, by the name of Boaz takes interest in her.
It's a wonderful story and some people consider it a great romance story but folks, it's more than a romance story here. Boaz is also related to Naomi and making him very qualified and eligible, I guess you could say, to redeem or purchase Naomi's family.
And that is to her late husband's field and continue her late husband's bloodline. That's the purpose of the writing of what is being said here. Boaz is impressed by Ruth's character as you read the story and he begins to love her and eventually marries her.
Ruth and Boaz have a son and the book closes with a grand surprise. What's that surprise? Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David and as you well know, as later on Jesus Christ comes as in that lineage whom we meet later in the book of 1 Samuel which is King David.
The book of Ruth, again as I said, is a love story. It's a great one but it's far more than just a romance story. Ruth's devotion to Naomi and Boaz's devotion to Ruth provides two compelling portraits of love among the people of God but the greatest love displayed in this book and this is why I say this because we're doing a study on the story of redemption is that it is God's love for Naomi.
I'd like for you to keep that in mind. It is God's love for Naomi and all of Israel. All of Israel and that is first of all and this is what these two compelling portraits of love bring to us. First, Naomi claims that God has dealt bitterly with her.
Now we get this in Ruth 1 verse 20 when she said to them, do not call me Naomi. Now back to in that time period as you well know in scripture a name meant their character. As Jacob was a deceiver, he eventually became Prince with God.
Jesus changed Cephas' name to Peter. So Simon to Peter. It's like Peter was his new name. So in a sense, when they named someone in scripture, the name means something of their character. So she says to them, she said, do not call me Naomi.
That means pleasant. Don't call me pleasant. That's what Naomi means, pleasant. Call me Mara, Mara. Mara means bitter and she knew in her heart she was bitter against God and that's what she said. For the Almighty, this is her words, the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
And it's interesting to note this, that the story ends with the woman recognizing God's provision for her. Now that's what she said in chapter 1. In chapter 4 verse 14, then the woman said to Naomi, blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer.
A close relative, a redeemer. And then she says, today and may his name become famous in Israel. You notice how God comes through? God has already planned this. God has already ordained this. Through all this and through the bloodline, eventually the Lord Jesus Christ, God himself enters into the world.
Second, it provides this, Naomi blames God for the loss of her two sons, as you well know, she does, she blames God. In Ruth chapter 1 verse 21 says this, I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.
Why do you call me, Naomi? In other words, why do you call me pleasant? Since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me. Affliction comes from God. She knew this. He's dealt bitterly with me.
He's afflicted me. She's been through some hard times. But the book also concludes, listen to this, with Ruth being praised as better than seven sons. In Ruth chapter 4 verse 15, may He also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age.
Listen to that blessing. A sustainer of your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you. Isn't that beautiful? And is better to you than seven sons has given birth to them, to Him. And let me close this overview of Ruth with this.
Just as Boaz redeemed, purchased Naomi, David will go on to deliver Israel from her enemies and bring about the security to the nation of Israel.
Better yet than that,.
The book of Ruth shows us a crystal clear picture in the type of Jesus Christ in Boaz. As the kinsman redeemer. Boaz was a qualified redeemer to Naomi. He was a family member. He had the means of purchasing the land, her land.
And he had the willingness, let me say that, to buy the land and marry Ruth. Beloved, can I tell you this? This is in a sense the story of redemption. That Jesus Christ has done for His people. How do you know this?
Here's three things I'd like to point out. Jesus Christ became one of us. And what do I mean by that? He became flesh. He was made flesh. In John 1 .14, the Word of God says,. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
He was made flesh. He humbled Himself and became one of us in that sense. He took upon Himself flesh. God Almighty did that. Second, Jesus Christ was capable, fully capable of buying us back. He redeemed us.
He purchased us. What did He purchase us with? His precious blood. Now that's exactly what Peter says.
He says,.
Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold. Those things will fade away from your futile, your empty way of life inherited from your forefathers. But with the precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
That's what you have been purchased with if you're a believer in Jesus Christ. Third, Jesus Christ was more than willing to buy us back, to redeem us, in sending us an example of a self-sacrificing husband like Boaz.
See, Jesus was far better, right? He was the perfect Son of God. And don't you love this verse? Ephesians 5, 25 -27 says this, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word.
Listen what He did, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory. This is going to happen. He purchased the church. It's valuable to Him. Having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.
That's the kind of bride that Jesus will have. And beloved, this speaks of the love of Jesus Christ.
For His church.
Jesus so loves His church. He gave up Himself. He willingly died. He paid the price. He ransomed His people. So Jesus is the greatest Redeemer. And the wonderful book of Ruth foreshadows His glorious work of redemption.
After reading that, it makes me almost want to just go through the book of Ruth. But we're going to look at verses 18 through 21. And again, I'm going to break this up in a four-part series. I think this is only right for us to do this to get the best we can out of this.
We want to get all we can out of it. So it gives to us as believers in Christ the highest motive for holy living, these passages of Scripture. If you really want to know what the motive that Peter is presenting to us is, this is a motive for holy living.
You know, motive of holy living should not be just, okay, I want to be holy. I'm doing this as just out of duty. No, it is a command of God. God says, be ye holy for I'm holy. It is a command of God. But what really motivates us to be holy?
Now, that's a good question, isn't it? What motivates us? Can I say, beloved, it should be the love of God more than anything else. Like in the book of Ruth, it is this great love that God has for His church.
It is the love of God, the love of God. So the apostle Peter reminds his readers within this letter of the great salvation that is only found in Jesus Christ alone, by the way, alone, by faith. That's what we were talking about at the opening, that we are to trust in God alone for our salvation, not in princes, not in men.
It is God and God alone. And we are to trust in the work that Jesus did and what He accomplished on the cross. And not only in His passive work and His death at the cross, but also we trust in His living work, His active work, His righteousness.
He lived for me. He not only died for me, but He lived for me too. That's His righteousness. No one else could be as righteous as Him. He had perfect righteousness. Why do you think the holy God, where there's the highest standard that there is in the universe, that Jesus, when He presented Himself on the cross, it's like the cross was His altar.
The altar before God, as we was reading through Leviticus, the presenting the sin offering, the blood, and all that that God the Father at the cross of Calvary, and His wrath, He poured out His wrath upon His Son as we should have been in that place.
But beloved, only Jesus' righteousness satisfied the justice of God. I'm telling you folks, that's something to shout about because when we get into eternity, the only reason we can get eternity heaven is because of Jesus and the price He paid.
I'm telling you, beloved,.
When you think about that,.
That we should shout joyfully into heaven because there will be eternal hell before us. And that, by the way, that's the reason why people go to hell because they reject that sacrifice, they reject Jesus, they reject His life, they reject His death, and they reject following Him and repenting from their sin.
And they're basically saying, I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to be religious and I'm going to go before God. I'm going to live any way I want to. And then when God sees them, He says, no, you do not have the righteousness that I am looking for.
And by the way, Isaiah said it perfectly. Our righteousness is what? Filthy rags. Think of that. Oh, Miss Lillian, you know what I'm saying. Even our very best before God is filthy. You see, that's the problem with the world today.
They think, okay, somehow I got some kindness and I got some goodness here. And yeah, I'm bad here and there most of the time, but I think good of people. They somehow compare their righteousness with the righteousness of God, but there's no comparison.
There's no comparison because our righteousness is filthy before God. And folks, can I say this? We will not understand the love story, the redeeming love of God of what Jesus did for us until we first understand that God hates a sin, our sin, with a hatred that is beyond our imagination, folks.
We're talking about the creator of the earth, the creator of the universe that spoke the stars and everything into existence by the word of his power, a holy God that everything that he made was perfectly good and sin entered into the world and corrupted and made all chaos and disorder.
Well, beloved, this warms my heart because we always need to reemphasize, and this is what Peter says, we need to emphasize the greatness of God. He reemphasizes the salvation of God in Jesus Christ, which he speaks of in verses 1 through 12, and we looked at that.
But this passage here speaks of believers, provides believers a sound theology of redemption. And I believe this is going to be a wonderful series, beloved, because I'm telling you, this story never gets old.
You know, Luther, Martin Luther, the great reformer, years back says, you preach the gospel to yourself every day. And he said every week he preached the gospel and basically he was talking about justification by faith alone to his people.
He said, why did I do it? Because they forget it every day. They forget it all the time. We can never get enough of the gospel. We can never get enough of the gospel. So we will look at three questions, and I'm going to break this up in a four-part series, one at a time because of the great importance.
The first question we're going to be looking at is, what did God redeem believers from? What did God redeem believers from? We're going to look at that today. Second, what did God redeem believers with?
What did God redeem believers with? Third, we're going to look at, by whom did God redeem believers? By whom did God redeem believers? And fourth, for what did God redeem believers? So the word of God gives to us a specific answers to each one of those four critical, crucial questions.
So first of all, let's look at what, first, what did God redeem believers from? What did God redeem believers from? What did He ransom us from? What did He purchase us from? And this is what we're going to look at.
Look at verse 18. Knowing that you were not redeemed, that means ransomed, with perishable things like silver or gold, and underline this, from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers.
Believers need to be reminded, again, of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of God, the gospel of God in the Lord Jesus Christ constantly, because we forget it. Sad to say we do. And this is one of the many reasons, we weren't going to take communion today, but we're going to postpone that, Lord willing, next week.
Lord willing to have Keith and Brother Ben back with us. But that our Lord established, we are going to have the Lord's Supper. But the Lord established the Lord's Supper for a reason. Did you ever think why He established it?
There are many good reasons. But if you notice within, when the Lord established it, and He ordained it, and He has an ordinance, it is a regular practice that God's people meet together to remember. It's a covenant, that word remember.
We are so forgetful, I'm telling you. But Jesus specifically did this,.
Purposely,.
That we may remember Him. But remember what He did. We are to remember Him, and the sufferings that He endured, and died in our place for. What He went through, the agonies of hell. Not only the physical agonies, but the wrath of God that was placed upon Him.
You see, that's the purpose that Jesus says, do this in remembrance of Me. And what does He say? My body was broken for you. My blood was shed for you. And that's what He's talking about. That's the gospel.
We need this important reminder, because even as believers, we're so easily distracted with the sins that so easily besets us. We get so busy in this world, and we say, okay, we got to do this, we got to do that.
And our mind and our focus is off the Lord and on to other things. It happens to me too. And when I read the sweet word of God, God always brings me back to the cross, and to the great price that He paid for my salvation.
Peter says this, note the reminders that the apostle gives us, from your futile way of life. From your futile way of life.
Futile.
Empty.
He's redeemed you from an empty way of life, in which you inherited from your forefathers. He reminds them what they were, what they used to be. You know, Scripture does say, even though God has placed our sins in the past, and He remembers it against us no more, but we never need to forget where we came from.
Did you ever think that's why the children of Israel was wandering around in the desert for 40 years? Because they forgot that God brought them out with a strong right hand, and redeemed them out of Egypt.
May God help us to remember where He brought us out of, beloved. He brought us out of the house of bondage, out of that world out there. He brought us out from it, and He's redeemed us and purchased us to Himself.
He's a jealous God, and He's not going to have no rivals. You know, He reminds them of what they were. Scripture makes this crystal clear, the truth that all believers were once in bondage to sin and wrath, and that only Christ's redemption broke that bondage.
If you turn with me to Romans chapter 6, let me point this out to you. This is a wonderful book. One of the most theological books that the Apostle Paul sets forth. And Romans 6, 7, and 8 is no doubt the heart of the gospel there.
And you can go over to chapter 9 through 11. It's still, I mean, you can't say one chapter above another, but all of it's good. But really, chapter 6, and chapter 7, and chapter 8 needs really thorough attention given to it.
Let me read some verses from Romans 6. I'll look at verse 6. Knowing this, don't you love?
Knowing.
There's a knowledge. That's what he's saying. You must have a knowledge of God. Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him. Who's he talking about? Crucified with Jesus. By faith. When you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you died with Him.
You died with Him.
That's what he's saying. The old man, the old self was crucified with Him.
Paul said that.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I'll live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Notice the love of God is the reason why Jesus died. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He gave His Son that we may live, but we must die too. We must die to ourself. We must die to sin.
And he says that the old self was crucified with Him in order. Now he gives a reason. In order that our body of sin might be done away with. The old self, the old man must die. Luther said this. I found out that the old man doesn't die so easily.
I come to find out he can still swim. Isn't that the truth? So that we would no longer be what? Slaves to sin. Now folks, this is language that we're talking about redemption. You've got to understand slavery.
Everybody's a slave to somebody or something. R .C. Sproul said that.
He says, we're all slaves.
But his question was this. Whom are you going to obey? That's a good question. Whom are you going to obey? Now, done away with. The word done away means rendered powerless or inoperative. Powerless. And what that refers to is that Jesus said this.
He says, He comes to set people free. He gives freedom from sin. Just not in sin, but from sin. Now look at verse 16 and 17. He gives a question. He gives an answer.
Listen to this.
16 and 17. Paul gives us, do you not know? Here's a question for him. Do you not know? There it is again. We must know. He wanted people to know, have a knowledge of God. And by the way, there's no true knowing outside of the word of God and by the Holy Spirit.
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey? Either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
That's a question.
So there's no other two.
Everybody is a slave to sin or they're a slave to righteousness. The question is, who's their master? Verse 17, Paul gives the answer to the question. But thanks be to God that though you were, there's the key word, you were, past tense, were slaves of sin, you were slaves to it.
In other words, you was in bondage to it. You submitted to the master, the devil. Your flesh wanted to do what you wanted to do. But it wasn't God's will. It wasn't what God wanted. And Jesus was not Lord.
He may be Lord of all, but he wasn't your Lord that you were submitting to. You were submitting to Satan and his schemes. You were slaves of sin. You became obedient.
And listen to this.
This is the transformation. You became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching. You know, what is being taught is very important. Sound teaching, sound doctrine is important. So he says, you became obedient from the heart.
I love that. Not from the mind necessarily, even though it does process through the mind to the heart. But it's the heart man believes into righteousness. The heart must be transformed. You must have a new heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, he said.
And keep in mind, the key word in our message from 1 Peter is that word redeemed. Redeemed. Peter says it. Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers.
Now, we're going to look at what this means. First of all, let me tell you a short definition of redeemed. It's a wonderful, powerful word, beloved. As you well know, it means to purchase. It means to ransom.
It means to buy back someone from the bondage of the payment with a high price. To set free by paying a ransom. The word redemption was a technical term for money paid to buy back a prisoner of war in that time period.
Now, let me bring this out to everyone here. And we'll make this as simple as I can. Beloved to us, the word redemption or redeemed may be a theological term. But can I say this? That this word carried a special meaning to people in the first century of the Roman Empire.
It meant something. There were many slaves that became Christians. Slavery in that time period was very dominant. And the Christians that were redeemed were once slaves, literally, to the Roman tyranny.
But when they became Christians, they fellowshiped in local assemblies. They met together and nothing stopped them from meeting together. There was a time in Nero that they even have proof that there was catacombs.
They even had to go in hiding to worship. That's proven. But they still met together. A slave could purchase his own freedom in that time period. He could purchase his own freedom. And that is if he could collect sufficient funds to do so.
But most of the time, he couldn't because he was too poor to do so. He didn't have the funds. Or, his master could sell him to someone who would pay the price and set him free. Beloved, redemption was a precious, precious thing.
You know, the Christian understands this. But now we're slaves to righteousness. Aren't you glad we got a greater master? We have a wonderful master. Beloved, we must never forget the slavery of sin. That is the worst slavery of all.
Titus 3 .3 says this. This is what the Apostle Paul says. And listen very closely what he says. Titus 3 .3. For we also once, once were, there it is, once were in the past foolish ourselves. There's no one that could stand up and say, I have done right every way of my going.
Only Jesus Christ has lived a perfect, holy, sinless life. Paul says, we were once foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived. Notice what he says. Enslaved to what? Our various lusts, our various pleasures.
And pleasures, notice what he says. Spending our life in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Do you notice the world in which we live? That describes the world perfectly in which we live.
Now, let me note here. As a believer, this verse is a reminder. And let me say this. A very sobering reminder of a truth that should make every believer humble in dealing with the unsaved. Because even those who are grossly immoral and very ungodly.
Why?
I'll tell you why. Because if it were not for the grace of God and loving kindness of God. In which I said at the opening. And the mercy that is found in Jesus Christ. We would be all, we would all be wicked and we would perish in hell just the same.
I'm telling you, we would all perish. But God, but God. And you know something, that's what it says in verse four.
No, no, no.
Listen to where Paul goes to. In verse four of Titus three. But, transitional, but. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared. He saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness.
But according to His mercy, His compassion. By the, how did He do it? By the washing of regeneration and the renewing by the Holy Spirit. A new birth takes place that God, God did this. God saved you.
God in His mercy pulled you out from the burning. Verse six. And he goes on. Whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. He poured out His love upon you richly. You didn't deserve it.
He, He, He graced you. But He did it. And verse seven says. So that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs. Now this is what He's given you. You're an heir of God. Joined here with Jesus Christ.
Made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
All in Jesus. All because of Jesus.
All because the Father set His mercy upon you. I'm telling you, that's the gospel. What a Savior we have. Hallelujah. Well Jesus Christ saves to the uttermost, doesn't He?
Scripture says it.
Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people. From what? From their sins.
Plural.
From their sins. In light of that great reality, the Apostle Peter sets forth four features that characterize everyone, including the redeemed, prior to their redemption. And we'll go through this as quick as I can, but stay with me.
Four features we need to look at within this text. The first feature of all redeemed, I'm sorry, of all unredeemed sinners is what verse 14 of this chapter calls the former lust. The former lust. This is what He saves us from, folks.
Verse 14 of 1 Peter says, As obedient children. Some translations has it children of obedience. It means the same thing. Children of obedience. Now, we are to be obedient unto God.
Scripture says that to children, doesn't it?
Children, obey your parents. For this is right. This is a command from God. God commands obedience. And you know, we're not perfectly obedient, but Jesus was. And you know, but we are to desire and to be obedient unto God and obey His commandments.
That's exactly what the Scripture says. We are to obey His commandments. And Jesus says to those who obey my commandments are those who love me. So if we love God and we love Jesus, we obey His commandments.
And there's a principle there that's given to even children. Hey children, y 'all with me? Y 'all with the preacher this morning? Don't you think it's pleasing to your parents that you obey them?
It is.
You know, and God desires the same for His children that we obey Him and His commands. So He's saying as obedient children, do not be conformed or conform yourselves to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance.
Now, there's some words here that's very important. I'd like for us to look at the word lust, lust. This is a prominent word that we find in the Scriptures. In the Greek, in the original Greek, that word lust means this.
It's compelling, driving passions. Don't you see this today? We have to be careful ourselves of our old man because we all have desires. But what are we desiring? Are we desiring the former lust, the desires of the world?
What are you desiring today? Do you desire God? Do you desire the Word? Or do you desire to satisfy your own pleasures or your own? You know, Scripture talks about that in the last days, men will be lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.
So what do you love?
Whom do you love?
What are you loving? What are your desires? So that word lust means compelling, driving passions, usually for what is evil, usually. So, look with me real quickly to 1 Peter chapter 4, look at this. Back to 1 Peter, go over a few chapters.
We will eventually, Lord willing, approach this, but notice what he says. Notice in verse 2 and 3, what does he say? So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for the lust of men, but for the will of God.
So we do not live according to our own will, our own lust, our own desires. We live for the desires of God, God's desires. Verse 3, for the time already passed is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles.
Notice what he says. Having pursued a course of sensuality, lust, drunkenness, carousing.
Notice what he says.
Drinking parties and abominable idolatries. Isn't the word of God so crystal clear? It even names each one of those sins. Having pursued a course. It's a course. People are on a course of sensuality, lust, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.
That could mean, there's no telling what that could mean. It could mean one sin piled on top of another sin. Now, now we're going to go through this as fast as I can. The term imagination is a term that you do not hear often, but often is used of older Christian literature.
You don't hear it often, do you? But seldom in contemporary writings and the Bible translations. And the reason I mentioned about this word imagination, it sheds additional light on the meaning of lust, lust.
The King James, the old authorized rendering of Genesis chapter, for example, Genesis chapter 6 verse 5, gives to us a vivid description of pre-flood society's gross sinfulness as an example. What is the word of God saying?
Now, you know what Jesus said in the last days? It'd be just as the days of Noah. You tell me if this verse does not fit this day as it did in that day. And God saw, God sees, folks. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.
And that, listen to what he says, that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Now, listen to that. Not just once in a while, not every day.
It was a continual evil. Folks, we're living in that day again. And you know what happened? God judged the world with the flood. Folks, there's another judgment coming. It's going to be the final judgment.
At this time period, God wiped out the entire world with a great flood. He cleansed it with the water and drowned out the whole entire human race in his justice. And he could do so because of the wicked sin that they were doing continually.
Every imagination, every thought was evil continually. Now, the next time God's going to purge, he's going to purge it with fire. He's going to cleanse it. There's a purging and a cleansing of fire because man corrupts himself with the sin.
Look at the corruption today.
Look at the murder.
Look at the lying. Look at the, I mean, killing of the unborn babies, millions. Just that sin alone right there would bring a judgment upon us. Look at the idolatry. Look at the immorality. It's unbelievable.
How can God tolerate it? But in his patience, beloved, he's given us another day. We live another day. Man lives another day. He desires people to come to repentance because he's a good God. He's a patient God.
But notice the phrase, the thoughts of his heart. The thoughts of his heart.
The thoughts of his heart.
Where evil continually refers to the mind. And by the way, all that sin, especially the lust that originates in the mind and in the heart, the imagination. Look at man's imaginations today. Evil continually.
How do we know what Scripture says about this? James 1, 14 and 15 perfectly describes the work of sinful imaginations.
But each one is tempted when he's carried away and enticed by his own lust, his own desires. And when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin. It has a baby.
There's a seed.
There's a desire. And it gives birth. But when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. And you know, you can't tell people this. It's almost, again, there's a small, simple illustration I give.
When I set a mousetrap out and when you set a mousetrap to take care of a little rodent that's trying to eat the wires away from a car that you need to drive every day to work. OK, you need to take care of that rascal, don't you?
What do you do? You set out a trap and you set a bait on it. What do you do? Do you give him a hamburger?
No.
Do you give him something like he don't desire? No, you give him something that he desires. You put peanut butter or cheese on it. And that little rascal, all he could think of is that cheese, something he likes.
He likes that. But is he thinking about his neck being broken and suffocating when, bam, he eats it?
No. No.
But that's a perfect example of what Satan does. He tempts us with what we like. He never throws bait out there that we don't like. He throws the bait out there, something that we like, and in our own lust, we go after that desire like the mouse likes the cheese.
We like to sin and we go after that particular sin. And the next thing you know, the trap has got us. And only Jesus can restore and break that bondage. You know, there is a day that's coming. And Jeremiah 3 .17 says,.
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall gather unto her in the name of the Lord to Jerusalem. Neither shall they walk anymore after the imagination of their evil heart.
There's coming a day, folks, when Jesus comes back, he's going to bring in and usher in righteousness because he is the righteous one. And the whole world will be ruled by righteousness. And then a grand and glorious day and evil will be brought to an end.
Well, second, the second feature that identifies the unredeemed bondage is his ignorance. First it's his lust, now it's his ignorance.
Let's look at this.
Ignorance.
This refers to the absence of spiritual understanding. Have you ever seen a day that there is such an absence of spiritual understanding? You tell people the truth and they look at you like, uh, duh. Or people that do know, but they hate you and they hate you because of the truth.
There's still lack of understanding. Lack of spiritual discernment in the church. The religious Jewish leaders, spiritual ignorance prompted Jesus to rebuke them. What did Jesus say in the gospel of John chapter 8 verse 43 and 44?
Jesus said this to the Pharisees, Why do you not understand what I'm saying? Jesus says, Why don't you understand what I'm saying? Then Jesus answers it. It is because you cannot hear my word. Underscore that.
They do not have the ability to understand. They cannot understand because God has not enlightened them. Because of their sin. And folks, God shows mercy to whom he wants to show mercy. Compassion to whom he wants to show compassion.
And he can judge whom he wants to judge. Now, notice this. He says, You cannot because you cannot hear my word. You cannot hear. Does it mean physically they were not hearing with this? No, they were hearing with this.
They did not have the spiritual understanding, the spiritual ears. Then he says this, You are of your father the devil. That's the reason why. You serve the devil. You are slaves to him. This is your father.
That's powerful preaching. He looked these religious people in the eye and says, You are of your father the devil. Notice what he says. And you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and he does not stand in the truth.
Because there is no truth in him. And whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature. For he is a liar and the father of lies.
That's who they serve.
That's who the world serves, folks. People don't like to hear that if you tell them that. But that's exactly what it is. Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 17 to 18, So this I say and affirm together with the Lord that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk.
You don't walk like you used to walk or like the Gentiles.
Listen to what he says.
In the futility, you know what that word means, futility?
It means empty. And the emptiness. It's all empty. It's all vanity of vanities, folks. There's people out there that think they're living the high life and making big dollars. Now, it's not sinful having money.
I'm not saying that. But it's people whom they serve. And a lot of people serve money. They serve mammon.
Jesus said that.
You cannot serve God and mammon. And then Jesus came and brought it right to where it belongs. Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also. I do know some Christian people that love the Lord and God has blessed them with wealth.
There's no sin in heaven with. Look at Solomon. But we have to be careful to make sure that that wealth does not cause us to stray from God. You know, God can take it all from us because he owns it all.
And if he does take it all from us, it's only things. So what's going to happen then? He says in verse 18, being darkened in their understanding. This is the unredeemed, folks. They're darkened in their understanding.
They're excluded.
You know what that word excluded means? They're alienated. They're separated. They're separated. They're alienated, excluded from what? The life of God because of what? The ignorance. They are ignorant that is in them because of.
Then he goes a step further. This is the core of it because of the hardness of their heart. Have you ever seen so many hard hearts in your life? Jesus says in the last days, men's heart will gross hard.
It will wax hard. This leads me to my third feature that characterize the unredeemed. Three, their futile way of life. Their futile way of life. It identifies a vain, empty, useless. You know, when you lived in the world and served the devil, it was useless and by the way, it was worthless.
You know, the devil promises much, but he delivers nothing. By the way, he delivers hell to you. No matter what they think, what people think on every unredeemed man or woman is living a futile life. They may, you know, they may look like they're prospering, the wicked prosper, but God brings them down.
One day, they got to die and meet God. What then? Even the most grandest accomplishments unbelievers seem to achieve are absolutely pointless from eternity's perspective, beloved. The world's point of view in Hollywood, winning an Emmy Award or a Tony Award, a little golden idol.
An idol is the grandest and glorious, most wonderful thing that ever happened to mankind. An idol. What about all these people in the past that was in Hollywood? Received all these little golden idols?
Where are they now? Vanity of vanities. Jesus made it clear. Two penetrating questions from Matthew 16, 26. Listen to what Jesus says. But what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
That's the first question. Hey, ask a person that serves riches and money. Ask him that one. What's going to profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul? Then the second question he asked, or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
What are you going to give in exchange for your soul? Well, the Apostle Paul recognized the futility of the unredeemed life when he forbade the people of Lystra from worshiping Barnabas and him in Acts 14, 15.
He says, men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
Turn from it. Verse, my fourth feature is of the unredeemed lost condition is namely, identifies inherited from the forefathers. Now, I want to bring this right to where it hits us. The New Testament, the Pharisees, and the followers were prime inherits to such worthless tradition which prompted Jesus himself a scathing rebuke to the Pharisees.
Listen to Matthew chapter 15, verse 7 through 9. Matthew 15, 7 through 9 in the gospel. And Jesus, again, He's speaking to the Pharisees, the religious scribes of that day, the religious theologians. He calls them hypocrites.
He says, you hypocrites. That's strong preaching, folks. In other words, that would be like me telling you, hey, you play actors, listen to me. Wow, that's strong preaching. But Jesus is basically saying, hey, play actors, you hypocrites.
You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you. This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And notice what He says, here's the key word, but in vain.
There it is.
In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines of precepts of men. One ancient rabbi said this, there are ten parts of hypocrisy in the world, nine is at Jerusalem and one everywhere else. The same might be said of much of the church.
In closing, let me give you one quote from Pastor John MacArthur here, and I thought it was very good in his commentary on this verse. Listen very closely, folks. He says this of this text, quote, Satan has no greater allies than hypocrites who go under the guise of God's people.
And hypocrites have no greater ally than tradition. Because tradition can be followed mechanically and thoughtlessly without conviction, sincerity, or purity of heart. Because traditions are made by men.
They can be accomplished by men. They require no faith, no trust, no dependence on God. Not only that, but they appeal to the flesh by feeding pride and self-righteousness. And often, as in this case, they also serve self-interest.
Because traditions require no integrity of heart, they are easily substituted for true worship and obedience. That is why it is easy for people to honor God with their lips while their heart is far away from Him.
And this is why ritual, ceremony, and other religious traditions are more likely to take worshipers further from God than bring them closer. And the further a person is from God, the more vain his worship becomes.
End quote.
How true that is. We see it everywhere in our day. Men, the flesh loves it. Because it's all externalism, lip service, and yet, all together, they're going through the motions, they play acting like on a stage, they can learn to, even preachers, even pastors, they can learn to preach a sermon.
Listen, I heard one missionary say, you can teach an idiot to preach.
That's the truth.
You can teach an idiot to preach. But in the prayer calls at Ravenhill, it says there's no showing off. That's who you are before God. Beloved, the only heart that can truly worship God is in spirit and truth.
That's what Jesus said, and the Father seeks such to worship Him. That is the heart that rightly belongs to Him. And the only heart that belongs to Him is the heart that is cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.
From sin and made right by Him by faith and trust alone in God. Now, folks, if you have a desire to love God and trust and to come to God. God, Jesus says, He that cometh to me, I and no wise will cast out.
If God has put the inkling desire in you, you come to Him. And don't put it off because today is the day of salvation. It is the divine, I like to put it this way, holy cleansing of the precious blood that washes all our sin water than snow.
Like the song says, there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners can plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. God has always offered to those this cleansing who put their trust in Him.
Let me close with this, Ezekiel 36, 26 through 27. It's the promise of the new covenant. God says, I will, notice what God says, I will give you a new heart. A new heart, not an improved heart, a new heart.
He does a heart transplant, He does a heart operation, spiritually speaking. And I'll put a new spirit within you. He'll even give you a new spirit. And I will put my spirit within you, that's Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The Holy Spirit literally comes within you. And notice what He says, and calls you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances. Beloved, unless this great supernatural transformation has happened within you, the new birth in which Jesus said to Nicodemus, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.
And Jesus also said to the Pharisees and Matthew, He says, unless your righteousness cannot exceed the hypocritical superficial righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, He says, in that which case, no one can enter or see the kingdom of God.
Only the righteousness of Jesus will do, beloved. Only the righteousness of Jesus. That's the gospel I give to you today. And it comes at a high price, folks. God has loved us so much. He has washed away our sins.
He's cleansed us from all sin. As you put your faith in Him, this is freely given. God has paid the price. He's done it all. He just commands all men to repent and believe the gospel. And that's what we stand for here at Redeeming Grace Church.
Aren't you glad?
Let's pray.
Father, oh Father, oh God, our Father, Lord, we give thanks to You and Father, forgive us in all the many times that we have not given thanks. For that is sin. You are the most holy, good God. For Your goodness, Your compassion, Your loving kindness endures forever.
And that You have showed us and demonstrated this great love toward us in Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the great sacrifice once and for all that cleanses away from all sin. Oh God, You have spared not Your Son, freely given us all things.
You delivered Him up for us, the Lamb of God. Oh, the Lamb of God, by His precious death, precious blood. Oh, it's a horrible thing and a fearful thing. But oh, what a glorious thing it is. Thank You, Father, for ransoming us and purchasing us and paying such a high price to make us Your own possession.
Oh God, You're jealous over Your people. You will have no rivals with no one else against You. When You purchase us, we belong to You and forever. We are not our own. We've been bought with a price. Oh God, keep us, keep us in the love of God.
May we keep ourselves in the love of God. Father, keep us from falling. Oh God, because You're the great Shepherd of the sheep and we thank You, Father, for the everlasting love that You loved us with.
You're so good to such undeserving sinners. Oh God, may we love You more so that we may obey You and give You glory. For it's in Jesus' name I pray, Amen and Amen.