6 1 Peter 1 Continued CYoung 5 27 2024

Peter is discussing the prophets' inquiries into the nature and timing of salvation through Christ. The prophets foretold of the grace that would come, but did not fully understand the details. This shows the verbal inspiration of their writing. The words, not the meaning, were given through them by the Holy Spirit. Paul confirms this in 2 Peter and 1 Corinthians. The prophets' prophecies were fulfilled through Christ's suffering and glory. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit, who dwells in believers. The prophets desired to know the timing and details of Christ's sufferings and glory. Christ's resurrection, ascension, and reign at God's right hand were all part of this. The prophecy in Psalms 16:8-10 is fulfilled in Christ. over in 1 Peter chapter 1 and we'll come down to begin at verse 10 on tonight. Now last night we talked about how that the reality of hope causes great rejoicing even when suffering and one is able to rejoice because once we set our minds on the prospect of salvation that is to be received. So this is the mind frame that the Apostle Peter's receptives had when he was writing to them while they was in the midst of suffering and their suffering was going to get even more severe at that time because it was right before the destruction of Jerusalem all that was to come and Peter was writing them to encourage them even though that they were suffering persecution as Jews and Christians that they got to keep their minds set on the eternal inheritance that's laid up in heaven for Christians and the salvation that will be revealed when Christ returns. So speaking of that salvation that we eagerly await of our souls now speaking about salvation of the soul now this is the goal or outcome of faith that don't relate to mine. So basically Peter was telling his readers that the afflictions that they endured in the flesh they seem light but for a moment when compared to the glories of eternal life so we understand that there's great cause for rejoicing when one anticipates the realization of heaven so we understand why these individuals was able to rejoice even though they was in the midst of persecution. Now the salvation of the Lord was already foretold by the prophet of old and this is what Peter starts to talk about when he gets down to verse 10 okay he talks about how the prophets spoke but they did not know the nature or time of these events that God would bring about salvation through the Messiah Christ Jesus. So what our first reader pick up at 1st Peter chapter 1 and read verses 10 through 12 for us. As to this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you and these things which now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which angels long to look. So we see in verse 10 the state of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. So Christians who were being persecuted they were found encouraging in the fact that the prophets of old not only spoke about the salvation in Christ that was to come but also from the fact that their plight was a concern not only of God but of the ancient men of God. But let's notice one thing about the prophets and that thing I want y'all to notice is that although they foretold of the grace that the readers of this epistle now enjoyed, these folkmen of God they did not know the nature or time of these events. That's why Peter stated that they inquired and searched diligently to know more about the grace of which they prophesied. They was prophesying about these things but they didn't know the nature or time of these events when they was going to be fulfilled or how God was going to bring it about. So this is proof of the verbal inspiration of the prophetic writing. It lets us know that they were not writing their interpretations of the things revealed. They spoke as they was moved by the Holy Spirit. Let's read also let's read also 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 21. For prophecy never came by the will of man, the holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So the scripture wasn't man's idea or man's thought that was written down for us and preserved for us and kept for all these years and years. This is the very God breathed word of God. These are God's very own thoughts on paper. Holy men of God spoke as they was moved by the Holy Spirit. So if you weren't moved by the Spirit you couldn't even record none in this Bible. So ain't nothing in this Bible that ain't from the mind of God that we see. So the words not the meaning was miraculously given through them. Okay. They wasn't given the meaning of the things. They didn't know the nature or the time of these events. That's why they inquired and searched to know more about the grace you know of which they prophesied. Okay. They was given the words not the meaning. Okay. So the words not the meaning was miraculously given through them. Let's read 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verses 11 through 13. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit. And no one can know God's thoughts except God's own spirit. And we have received God's spirit not the word world spirit. So we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead we speak words given to us by the Spirit. Using the Spirit words to explain spiritual things. All right. So Paul basically let them know that he is an apostle. We also know the other apostles that they all taught the same thing. When one apostle taught they all taught the same thing. So that all lets us know that the Bible comes from one mind. And that is the mind of God. They spoke as they was moved by God the Holy Spirit. All right. So we see that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit they all play a part in mankind's redemption. And they all are in unity with one another. Okay. And as we go on to 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 11 it stated that they were searching what or what amount of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify. When it testified beforehand the sufferance of Christ and the glory that shall follow. So it say that it testified beforehand. Before these things even came to pass the Spirit had already revealed this to holy men of old what was going to happen. Even though they didn't fully understand it but we see God's foreknowledge. That's basically what prophecy is. It's God's foreknowledge of events that's certain to come to pass. Okay. And even Christ if you look in the Gospels he fulfills a lot of prophecies. A lot of the prophecies refer to Christ. Majority. So that the Messiah will come and suffer was a matter of prophecy in the Old Testament. This is what I'm getting at. And let's we can read the whole Isaiah chapter 53 on our own time and even Psalms 22. Well let's look at a short cross reference. Let's look at Acts chapter 26 verses 22 and 23. Sister Christian. Acts 26, 22 and 23. Therefore having obtained help from God to this day I stand witnessing both to small and great saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come. That the Christ would suffer that he would be the first to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. Alright and Christ has done that. Christ has fulfilled prophecies. He has come. He has suffered. He was buried. He rose. But he also before he endured all that suffering he fulfilled his ministry as a faithful and obedient son of God. Alright. And we see that Paul stated that Moses and all them had preached the same gospel that he was preaching. They had already foretold it about the Messiah. And they was persecuting Paul for preaching Christ Jesus crucified. That Christ Jesus crucified is the power of salvation to all who believe and obey. This is why they was persecuting Paul. Because he believed and preached the resurrection of Christ. And he wasn't preaching nothing no different from what the prophets had already prophesied. Okay. Which was given to the prophet by the Spirit of God. So the Spirit of Christ by which these men spoke is the Holy Spirit. Let's read Romans chapter 8 verses 9 through 11. Romans 8, 9 through 11. However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you, but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal body through his Spirit who indwells you. All right. So we see that the Spirit of Christ by which these men spoke is the Holy Spirit. And yes the Holy Spirit do dwell in Christians. All right. And we are to be continually filled with the Spirit by speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. And singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord. And by studying scripture. And by practicing obedience and righteousness from the scriptures. And by praying, worshiping. This is how we be filled. It's a continuous, continual feeling. This is how you be filled with the Spirit. All right. So holy men of old they spoke as the Spirit of Christ led them. All right. Now Christ was the author and theme of the message that was revealed through the Holy Spirit. All right. Now like I stated that Peter was stating right here in 1st Peter chapter 1. He was basically stating that the prophets desired to know the exact time these things would be fulfilled. And also to know about the sufferings of Christ as well as the glory that shall follow. Which is the triumph of the Messiah. And these things included his resurrection, his ascension, and reign at God's right hand. Let's read Psalms chapter 16 verses 8-10. Tim. I have sent the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in shoal. Nor will you allow your Holy One to be, to see a corruption. All right. So there is a prophecy about King David. Go ahead Tim. You want to finish? Yeah did I need verse 11 also? No just 10. Okay. So there's a prophecy. You have one minute remaining. Which Jesus fulfilled in his death, burial, and resurrection. And his ascension. With his reign at God's right hand. He fulfilled these things. And that's what the Apostle Peter, speaking of Peter, he preached the first Gospel Sermon after Christ's ascension. And he preached it on Pentecost Day over in Acts chapter 2. And he spoke in this Gospel Sermon this prophecy. About how that David is not ascended to God's right hand. He said as a matter of fact, David was not referred to himself when he prophesied this prophecy. Which the Jews thought David was. But Peter had to tell him, look David is both dead and buried in his tomb is among us unto this day. No he was speaking about the Christ. Whom you crucified. Whom God's raised from the dead. And he's ascended to God's right hand. And he's somebody keeps Holy Spirit by which we speak in different language this day before you. That's what Peter was telling. Thank you for using Global Telling. Hey Charles will be back on in a minute. Hello Darius. Hey how y'all doing? Good. Hello Darius. Nice. You headed back home? Yeah I got carried back yesterday. I had to get on the back, yeah I had to get on the back. Alright. Well I'm glad you made it safely. So as we continue at 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 12. We see that Peter he stated that unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel. Now what is the gospel? The gospel is the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now let's stop and think for a moment. Paul stated that the very gospel that he preached ain't no different from what Moses and all the prophets had already been preaching and teaching. Well what was they teaching? What was they prophesying? They was prophesying about the resurrection and the ascension and the reign of Christ to God's right hand. These are the things that was being preached to Peter's reception by the gospel. And he said it was being preached unto them with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. But notice what he's saying. Which things the angels desire to look into. So even the angels desire to look into this grace of God. This is how wonderful the grace of God is towards us. That even the angels in heaven they desire to look into this grace of God. And we see that it was revealed to the prophets that their predictions related to a future age. But now let's hold up for a second because Peter then explains that the very things in which the prophets foretold were at that time being preached by the gospel. Which also was revealed by what? By who? By the Holy Spirit. So this is how we know that the word of God is firm and sure. Amen. Ephesians chapter 3 verses 3-5 and y'all be patient. We finna bring it to a close in a second. Ephesians chapter 3 verses 3-5. Alright. That's good. Okay. So as we continue on we see here that the word of God, the gospel that was being preached to Peter's reception and even being preached now, it was revealed through the Holy Spirit. The very God breathed word of God. The death of Christ was by the foreknowledge and determinative plan of God. Okay. It wasn't nothing that the devil just brung about. The gospel was preached long ago, even to Abraham. But the gospel was already thought about before one man ever existed on the earth, before creation ever came to be. Because God has foreknowledge. Okay. To know what's gonna happen before it happens. Where you think you get prophecy from. And if you look back at some of those prophecies, they are thousands and thousands of years old before they were fulfilled. So God's foreknowledge is beyond what man can even think or imagine. Okay. And the death of Christ was by the foreknowledge and determinative plan of God. Let's read Acts chapter 2 verse 23. I can't really hear who I was reading. Y'all heard him? No, that was another song that crashed in. I don't know what that was. That was another thing that crashed in. Okay, I'm gonna read Acts chapter 2 verse 23. It states, Now Peter in the previous verse had told these Jews on Pentecost Day that Jesus was from God and they knew he was from God and it was approved by the miracles and wonders and signs which God had did by Jesus in the midst of the Jews. As they themselves also knew. But then in the next sentence he gives them a firm indictment. He tells them, look, y'all are murderers. Okay. He stated that him being delivered by the determinative counsel and foreknowledge of God, he hath taken him by wicked hands, hath crucified and slain him. Peter said it was God's plan for Christ to suffer. And y'all fulfilled prophecy. Y'all murdered him. But that ain't what the story is because Peter goes on in verse 24 and tells them whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. So not only did Paul preach the gospel that the prophets had already foretold and Moses and all those individuals, but even Peter and the rest of the apostles preached the same thing. Why did they preach the same thing, Charles? Well, because they all was led by the self-same spirit. That is the Holy Spirit. And they preached the gospel of Christ. So until Christ died and the gospel was preached, the scheme of redemption was a mystery, which means it was unrevealed. So even though the prophets of old, they was prophesying about these things, they still didn't know when or how God would bring these things about. They only seen these things from afar off, okay. Even the angels in heaven desired to look into these things, okay. So we see that both men and angels desired to know the exact meaning of the things prophesied. What I'm telling y'all is God did not fully explain earlier. And had the devil known, he would not have used men to crucify our Lord. Let's read 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 6. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. Then I want you to read verse 7 also. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages of our glory. Alright, then it goes on to state, which none of the princes of this world knew, that's referring to the devil and his angels, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, I have not seen, nor heard, neither have entered into the heart of man. Now your Bible heart is your mind, as we see in the New Testament. It says, nor have entered into the mind of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. But God has revealed them unto us by what? By who? By his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. So we see that the gospel before it was preached, it was a mystery. Okay? His scheme of redemption was a mystery, which means it was unrevealed. Even though men and angels desire to know the exact meaning of the things prophesied, God did not fully explain this earlier. And we see that the scriptures even state that had the devil known, he would not have used wicked men to crucify our Lord. But the beautiful thing about all this grace that God has stored up is that now this scheme of redemption is fully revealed. And I'm going to read over here Romans chapter 16, and this is our last set of scriptures for tonight. Romans 16 verses 25 and 26. And this is what it states. Romans 16 verses 25 and 26. Paul states, now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest. In that word manifest, you could say it has been revealed or it has been made known. So Paul states, but now is made known and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. We see that word play again. We see that obedience and faith. I said that when I think about faith, I automatically think about faith as a twofold word because in my mind I can't have faith without having obedience. And God told, and Samuel had to tell Paul as I was reading over in that last night, do God delight more in obedience or sacrifice? Is it better to be obedient or to sacrifice? And we all know that there was a rhetorical question because we all know that it is better to be obedient to the Lord. And the very thing that the first step that mankind, each of us in our life have in common is the fact that we all need to be obedient to what the prophet has foretold about this glory, this great mystery that was to be revealed. And that has been revealed by holy men who was led by the Holy Spirit and gave us the very words of our Bible, the gospel of Jesus Christ. They preached about the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus and how that in him, pay attention to that term. I say in Christ, only then can one be made righteous. Jesus said, he who believes and is baptized shall be saved. That is the gospel that is preached according to the New Testament. Jesus said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations. That means even people in America, but he said first they going to begin in Jerusalem. So that's why the book of Acts started off in Jerusalem. If the apostles, Peter and the rest of the apostles got on this phone tonight and you said, brother, Peter, I want to ask you, what did you obey to be saved? Peter going to say the same gospel that the prophets had foretold. The same gospel that Moses prophesied about. The same gospel that John the Baptist came preaching. The same gospel that Jesus Christ came preaching. The same gospel that the Lord commissioned us as apostles to go out and preach and teach for men and women's salvation. But the only ones who will be saved is those who have disobedience to the faith. And if you ask Peter and the rest of the apostles, I want to ask y'all just one more thing before we end Bible call. Peter, what member, what church do you and the apostles belong to? And you know what they're going to tell you. Well, open your Bible to Acts chapter 2, and I want you to go and look on Pentecost Day when the kingdom arrives. This is the very kingdom that I and the rest of these saints are a part of. The Lord's church, which he established. And they're going to encourage you to become a member of that same church if you're not. But as we see here, Peter breaks down to his reception over in 1 Peter, as we read verses 10 through 12 tonight. We see that he basically told them about this salvation, how that it was foretold by the prophets, people. The prophets spoke, but they did not know the nature or the time of these events. But what's so wonderful, what's so wonderful, the same thing that Jesus said about John with a lot of people, they get it twisted. Because Jesus said that no one born of woman is greater than John. But then in the same sentence, he turns around and says something where you say, well, you might say, well, Jesus contradicted himself right there. No, he didn't. Because you've got to understand the gospel. You've got to follow the gospel to understand the interpretation of his teaching, to keep the teaching in context. He said, no one born of woman is greater than John. But pay attention to this key word, because if you ain't in this place, you ain't in the right place. He said, but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John. Why? And how? Look what John did. He came. He fulfilled the role like Elijah. He came and he was crucified. He was beheaded for telling the king that it was wrong to commit adultery. He stood boldly for God. He stood firm in his faith. So how is he that is least in the kingdom of God greater than John? That's because John died before the kingdom was established. John died before Jesus Christ. So John could not preach and teach that you need to be baptized into the death of Christ. No, no. He couldn't preach that. Why? Because Christ had died. But now that Christ has died and he was buried and he rose from the dead, just as the prophets had predicted by the foreknowledge of God the Father, they preached the very gospel that I'm preaching to you. And they went out and they told men and women, believe and repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now I ain't talking about you going to be able to speak in tongues. I ain't talking about some feeling going to come over you the way, oh, I just know I'm saved. I'm not talking about how somebody going to pray for you and you going to get up out of the wheelchair and walk. No, I'm talking about when you repent, after that you have believed and you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This means by Christ's authority, you are abandoned and you have been baptized for the remission of sin. Only then will you have obedient faith. I don't care how good you is. I don't care how many people you feed, how many people you let in your house, how many people you take care of. If you don't obey this gospel, you separate yourself. You have one minute remaining. Amen. The first thing, people, is to learn how to get in the kingdom. Learn who Christ is and how to get in the kingdom. Because if you get this wrong, you miss out on everything. Amen. So what if grandmama was wrong? What if my mama was wrong and I got a chance to get it right? I have an opportunity so God going to hold me accountable because I have an opportunity to learn His word and see am I going the right way or not. And if I'm not, I need to repent and be baptized for the remission of sin. Amen. And obey the prophet. But most of all, obey God. Amen.