When building anything, having the foundation strong is the most important part of the process. It could be something physical like a house. Or it could be something like a business. A marriage. A family. If the foundation is not strong, if the starting point is weak, if the beginning is frail, if the base is not stable, whatever you build on top of it will crumble. It may not break straight away. It might handle some difficult times. But when something hits it hard. It will crumble.
Peter is building a foundation for these suffering Christians in the beginning of 1st Peter.
As Erlend mentioned last week, Christians were blamed for the destruction that Nero very likely created. And the result was intense, extreme persecution. And it was costing Christians their lives. Ripped from their families, they suffered torture we can’t even comprehend.
What in the world were they supposed to do?
How were they supposed to handle this?
So Peter writes to them. And he does not begin his letter with instructions. Instructions come eventually. Verse 13 begins with “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”. These are instructions. So verse 13 is the starting point of the instructions and exhortations that continue throughout the letter.
But these come 13 verses later.
Verse v13 begins with a “therefore”, på norsk “derfor”. This lets us know that the basis of these actions, the foundation of these instructions in verse 13, comes in verses beforehand.
There is a foundation set out for these Christians. A ground before the instructions. A foundation that the Apostle Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and therefore a foundation that God believed was essential for these suffering Christians to know before he gave any instructions at all.
So why? Why does Peter start with this before getting to the instructions and exhortations in verse 13 onwards?
Peter understood that the indictives precede the imperatives. That is a difficult sentence in English, the indictives precede the imperatives, but it is absolutely essential to the Christian faith that you understand this.
And if you do not understand the meaning behind this, you will not make the progress you want in your Christian walk. So let me say it in another way:
Ready? Peter understood that knowing what God has done for us comes before what God requires of us.
Let me say it one more way: because it is very important. In structuring this letter, Peter is reminding these 1st century Christians, and in turn reminding us today, that we must, with a well-instructed faith, reflect on what we are and what we have in Christ if we want to make any progress in being or doing what is pleasing to Christ.
This is the very core of the Christian faith. That understanding and believing the Gospel comes before we do anything pleasing to the Lord.
Getting these mixed up is the opposite of the Gospel. Confusing the foundation for that which should be built on top of the foundation will crumble your faith. We do not do what God commands us in order to live a pleasing life to God. We do not try to get saved by our own works. Knowing and remembering what we are and what we have in Christ is the key in being or doing what is pleasing to Christ.
We have seen this in the last two sermons. He begins the letter blessing God for their great and glorious salvation. His aim is to help these suffering Christians to see passages that Pastor Bob and Pastor Erlend unpacked for us the last two weeks. But Peter is not done yet. There is more to be said about this foundation before the instructions come in verse 13. A foundation that was necessary to push those suffering and being killed for their faith to face those trials with joy and hope. Let us consider the conclusion of this foundation in 1 Peter 1:10-12, and may it give us the hope and joy we need when persecution and trials come. Because they are coming. Of course, their suffering under Nero is far worse than what we have experienced. And, maybe worse than what we will ever experience. But we still suffer. We still have challenges. This time of peace we experience here in Norway is not the reality for many in the world. And we have no idea how long this will last. 2 Timothy 3:12 says this: Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. So we need to be ready. How are we to respond in the face of increasing persecution?
Open your Bibles, to 1st Peter 1. If you want to follow in English, I will be reading from the NASB version. The New American Standard Bible. 1st Peter 1 verses 10-12.
10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 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. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
And now, before the instructions, we are to continue to consider this glorious salvation once again.
The title of this message is “the privileged persecuted”. That might sound a bit strange. We do not consider those who are persecuted to be privileged, or favoured, or blessed. Persecution is often seen as a bad thing. But we will see how Peter continues to show them how blessed they are to be suffering as a Christian. Christians have the greatest privilege experienced by any people throughout all history. And so seeing their salvation as glorious, and understanding this great privilege Christians have, will help them to suffer well, and therefore have hope in suffering, and joy in sorrow.
If you like to take notes, there are three ways Peter continues to show how they are a privileged persecuted people. He does this by showing them how great their salvation is.
- Shows salvation as great because of prophets searching. V10-12a (beginning of verse 12)
- Shows salvation as great through gospel preaching. V12b (middle of verse 12)
- Shows salvation as great through the angels longing (or desiring) V12c (end of verse 12)
- Shows salvation as great because of prophetic searching. V10-12a (beginning of verse 12)
This point is the majority of these verses, so we will spend most of our time here. And conclude quickly with the other two points.
10 As to this salvation, (pause there)
What salvation? The salvation mentioned in verse 9. Both Pastor Bob and pastor Erlend unpacked the prior verses for us the two last Sundays. Verse 8-9 talks about how the fruits of loving an unseen Christ is that we are gaining the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls. So he now goes on to say in verse 10:
10 As to this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,
Who were these prophets? All the following verbs talk about what the prophets did: it is the prophets that prophesied, it is the prophets that searched. It is the prophets that inquired, it is the prophets that, v11, seeked.
The Norwegian and English Bible both add the word “the” here. “The prophets” The Greek does not have it, and is therefore not talking about specific prophets, but prophets in general.
What is a prophet? A prophet is one who receives direct revelation from God, and became the mouthpiece of God in order to speak that revelation to others.
Remember when Moses complains to God in Exodus that Moses can not speak well, so God says that Aaron will be his…prophet. God then says to Moses, I will put My words into your mind, heart and mouth, and you, Moses, will put them in the mouth of Aaron.
Luke 1:67-70. Will help us understand what a prophet is:
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
70 As He (GOD) As HE spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old
That’s what a prophet is. Someone who becomes the mouthpiece for God.
Not to speak his own thoughts. But to speak the very Word of God. I am sure you have heard many false prophets in the media, online, on TV. False prophets saying “Thus says the Lord”, and then predicting something, or claiming something… and it not happening. There are websites dedicated to showing many of these false prophecies. One I was looking at yesterday even had a timer. It has been 700 days, and 11 hours, and 14 minutes, when I checked yesterday, since Bill Johnson “prophesied” that no Christian would get the coronavirus. Clearly a false prophecy, and not the Word of God.
A prophet does not speak his own thoughts, but, Luke 1:70, to speak the very Word of God. In this section in 1 Peter, it is talking about the prophets of the Old Testament whose words were the direct revelation of God which had been recorded in the Old Testament.
So back to 1 Peter 1:10
What did they prophise about?
10 As to this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,
What is the particular theme of the prophets that Peter has in mind?
So when Peter is trying to encourage these 1st century believers, he wants to help them see that their great salvation is something the prophets spoke about.
So remember what Peter is trying to do so far in this letter. He is trying to give these Christians in Asia Minor a foundation for them to face suffering with joy. He is trying to help them to live practically in a pagan world by giving them a deeper appreciation for their salvation. He is trying to help them see how privileged they are to be Christians.
How does he do that?
10 As to this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you…
Peter says: These Old Testament prophets spoke of grace that was to you. You believers in Asia Minor this side of the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ. You, who are on this side of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to believers. These prophets prophesied of v10 of the grace that would come to you
The whole of the message of the gospel of the salvation of Christ can be summarised like this: The Gospel of the grace of God. 29:20
If you were at Sammen for Evageliet last year or the year before, you would have heard both Erlend and I speak on this verse in Acts.
Paul says in Acts 20:24 to the Ephesian elders: But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
The “grace” that would come to you in 1 Peter 10, is the gospel. The Gospel is all about the grace of God. So Peter is saying, this salvation is the salvation that the prophets of old searched and inquired of: that is: the grace concerning you. About the grace that would come to you when Christ would come, live a perfect life, die, raise again for the sins of the world. So that even these suffering Christians in Asia Minor could have salvation.
Peter wants them to know that this salvation was planned thousands of years before they started suffering. This was to give them hope in their suffering.
But let’s continue through the verse. What was their focus of their searching?
10 As to this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,
These prophets were searching and studying the very words that the Lord gave them. Why?
11 seeking to know what person or time… (stop there)
This means that not everything that was revealed to the prophets about the Messiah was understood fully.
Listen to what Dr Nathan Buesnitz says about this: “The prophets didn’t know how all the details about the Messiah was going to play out. They looked forward to the Messiah, and they were saved by him by grace through their anticipatory faith in the Messiah’s substitutionary work.” Meaning, they were saved by their expectation that the Messiah would deal with sins. “But they did not know or understand all that we know on this side of the cross.”
One example of this is that we see Daniel in chapter 9:2 searching for more information by studying Jeremiah’s prophecy.
Or listen also to how Jesus describes this:
Matthew 13:16-17 – But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
There was a longing of the prophets to see things more clearly, and there was a desire for the prophets to see and understand what person or time these prophecies were going to happen.
So those Christians suffering were more privileged than the prophets, because those suffering had a clearer understanding of what the prophets meant because it was happening right in front of these New Testament Christians with the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
By what influence did the prophets speak and write?
11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating (stop there)
What was the influence they spoke under? The prophets spoke by the influence of the Spirit of Christ within them.
Woah. Wait a minute. Isn’t the Spirit of Christ a New Testament thing?
Romans 8:9: shows there is not a difference between the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of Christ.
9 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.
På norsk: Romans 8:9:
9 Men dere er ikke i kjødet, dere er i Ånden, så sant Guds Ånd bor i dere. Men om noen ikke har Kristi Ånd, da hører han ikke Kristus til
These are not two different spirits. These prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit, inspired by the Spirit of Christ, to write God’s Word without any errors or mistakes. The theological words for this is God’s infallible and inerrant Word.
Peter is writing to these people. People who are not mighty, not noble.
He wants these people to know that they are to appreciate their salvation if they want joy in trials. And if they are to appreciate their salvation, they need to know that this is the same salvation these Old prophets spoke of. These prophets that got the exact Words from the Spirit of Christ many years before, spoke about a salvation that they now have.
What is the particular theme of the prophets that Peter has in mind? What theme was the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, showing these prophets?
He continues in verse 11:
11 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.
What was the particular theme of the prophets Peter had in mind? It is the grace towards you: the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
The heart of these verses are these lines.
The ministry of the prophets had a specific ministry to those of their time. To those people in the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah and Zacahriah, and Jonah, and many others. Promises made to those people at that time.
But many prophets also predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. Things that none of them understood fully. Things that the 1st Peter suffering Chrisitians knew because they had experienced it. Things that we understand because of the testimony of the four gospels, and the letters, and revelation in the New Testament.
I will spend the end of this message going through some of the prophecies concerning the Messiah from the Old Testament. Prophecies that were not clear to them then, but are extremely clear to us now.
But in the meantime, let’s hear what Peter says about it in Acts 10:42-43
42And He (the Messiah, Jesus) ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
Did you catch that? Peter in Acts says the same as in 1st Peter: All the prophets showed this to be true, that through the Messiah, everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. This will be extremely clear when we go through some of these prophecies at the end.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves (stop there)
“Reveal” 26 times the verb is used in the NT, 18 times the noun form is used, and always it refers to a divine disclosure when God makes known something to people.
This was not something the prophets just thought up themselves. This was revealed by the Lord. So what was revealed to them? There was another people in the mind of the Lord. Some of their prophecies were for the people of their time, but other prophecies were going to be clearer for a different people. Who?
Verse 12
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you,…
That what God led the prophets to write by the Spirit of Christ, was not just for themselves, but for those who would be alive during and after the time of Christ coming to earth in the flesh. 23min
Have you stopped to reflect on this?
It is easy to think that our salvation is something given to us in the last 5-10-50-100 years of our lives. Prophets have been speaking about this very salvation for thousands of years.
Your salvation is not a modern idea.
It is not something that this church has made up three weeks ago when we had our first church service.
It is not something your parents planned for you to help you be a good person 10-50 years ago.
It is not something created by Norwegian state churches a few hundred years ago.
It was not something that Martin Luther made up because he did not like the Roman Catholics having power 500 years ago
It was not something that the disciples thought would be a cool thing to follow after Jesus died 2000 years ago.
Your salvation has roots long, long ago. It is something precious that the prophets wanted to know more of, but they understood through their searching something that should show us how privileged we are.
What was the result of their searching? How much did they understand?
… 12 in these things which now have been announced to you.
What things? The things concerning God’s grace coming through the suffering of Christ, and the glories to follow.
The prophets searched the Word wondering these questions:
Who is this One that is coming?
At what time would this One come?
What will be the circumstances around which this One would come?
But this much became clear to them: that the answers of these questions would not come about in their days.
Listen to how Jesus explains this in John 8:56:
When Jesus is confronting the aggressive Pharisees, Jesus says: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day” Abraham saw it from afar, but he understood that it would not be happening in his time. And here was Jesus standing before the Jews, and they asked him in John 8:57 “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” And Jesus replied, as clearly as He could to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” And rather than rejoicing. Rather than embracing this salvation. Rather than accepting that Jesus was the fulfilment of what Abraham longed to see. Rather than seeing the connection between what the prophets said and what was happening before their very eyes. Rather than trusting in this Christ before them and repenting of their sins. Rather than being saved, and rejoicing in God’s great plan for salvation.
What did the Pharisees do? They picked up stones to throw at Christ.
So how is this all relevant for us? What is Peter trying to do? As Erlend made clear last week, he is writing to suffering Christians. There was brutal persecution that we here in Norway have difficulty trying to imagine. Nero set Christians on fire, and used them as human torches to light up his parties. Terrible, terrible sufferings that we may never understand.
But later in this letter, in 1st Peter, he will address things I am sure we can relate to: by talking about non-Christians trying to pull them back into their old lustful lives, the challenge of loving others without hypocrisy, the difficulties of keeping one’s actions pure around non-Christians. He will talk about submiting to corrupt governement authorities, he will talk about slaves and servants loving their masters even if they are treated harshly, he will talk about wives being married to non-Christian men and how to love them graciously, and he will spend a lot of time talking about suffering for righteousness sake. He will talk about the danger of suffering due to sinful decisions you make. I am sure at least some of these will be relevant for us.
So why this foundation before the practical instructions Peter? Why God? Why does all this talk about the prophets help these suffering Christians.
Listen now: He starts grounding them into their great salvation. And in showing the the solid foundation they have in their salvation, he tells these humble 1st century Christians, that you need to understand that this salvation you have, this salvation that will result in the eternal inheritance, which is preserved and keep by the power of God, this salvation you are now receiving as you love and believe in Christ who you cannot yet see.
You believers need to know: This is the very salvation rooted in the Old Testament. You, Christian, have knowledge and insight into the gospel that the Godly, righteous, faithful prophets never had.
You see and know things Isaiah never knew. Things Jeremiah and Ezequiel and Daniel never saw or knew.
You are going to feel the pressure to compromise. You are going to feel the attacks and the pressure of the ungodly world around you to sin and turn away from the faith.
What do you need?!
You don’t need someone to say, “det går bra” just carry on.
You need deep in your soul the understanding that your salvation did not start with you, or your parents, or your grandparents.
The salvation you have was spoken about thousands of years before you were born. Rooted in the foreknowledge of God. Who moved his prophets to speak about things that are now yours if you are in Christ. Things that those prophets never had understood fully. Things that these prophets believed would be revealed more fully to you.
How are you here today going to stand firm in the trials and persecutions you will face? By seeing your salvation as great because of prophets searching. Prophets that spent their lives prophesying about that which we now have.
That was the first point. Our salvation is great because of prophets searching. That was 2 out of 3 of the verses, so the next two points are far shorter.
2. Peter shows salvation as great through gospel preaching. V12b (middle of verse 12)
… 12 in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven…
Which things have now been announced? These are things that were spoken of by the prophets, the things that the Holy Spirit revealed to the prophets about the sufferings of Christ and the following glories. These things that have been announced are the things of Grace. The Gospel.
It was announced by unnamed gospel preachers. V12 those who preached the gospel to you. Peter is not concerned about who it was that preached to them. So he does not say any names. Only God and those involved know who it was that preached to these Christians the gospel. It doesn’t matter who. It matters that it was done. That preaching of the gospel happened. Because it was preached to them in the power of and, v12 by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
Peter was there on Pentecost, when the Spirit of God came down from heaven like a rushing wind. People were hearing the preaching of the Word in their own languages. Peter stood up and preached. Unpacking verses in Joel and other passages. And thousands were saved.
And now he is saying this same Holy Spirit was how these gospel preachers were preaching the gospel. When these preachers came to Asia Minor, they came full of the Spirit, as all Christians now are, and they preached the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the listeners heard the words preached, and the Holy Spirit opened their eyes to see the gospel as glorious.
Why does he tell them this? Why does this help with having joy in suffering? Peter is saying to them: You heard things from the prophets. Things that those prophets knew would not be fully revealed in their time. You heard these things that they searched to understand. You were brought to understand at the very beginning of your Christian experience. Because the gospel, contains “these things”.
A Savour coming from heaven, living a perfect life, suffering for the sins of the world, the glory of rising from the dead, the glory of ascending into heaven, the glory of sending the Holy Spirit to dwell within all those that have repented from their sins, and trust in this Christ that was preached to them by other Christians, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Not only do these Christians have more truth revealed to them, but they also have the Holy Spirit.
The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to conform us to Christ, making us more and more like Christ, 2 Corinthians 3:18, “from one level of glory to the next, as we gaze at [as we look at] Christ.”
Something the Holy Spirit does in us. Something that we have the privilege of having. Why? Because people who had the Holy Spirit within them, preached about this great salvation through gospel preaching and teaching. And because of that, they were saved.
Question for you here. How were you saved? This is an important question for you to go back to often. Because remembering how you were saved is a key to having joy in your suffering. There was a golden chain that extended from the beginning all the way to now. That those who believe and trust the Lord would be saved. The Old Testament believers in looking forward to the Cross of Christ, and the New Testament believers and after, looking back on the Cross of Christ. There is an unbreakable link between those who lived thousands of years ago, and us. The Gospel has been passed down year after year after year, through persecution, trials, and suffering. Protected by God in order that we too might be saved.
We are the most privileged people on earth, because someone told us the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit worked in them, and in us to save us.
And now, not only do we enjoy more fulfilled prophecy than what the prophets did, we also have the Holy Spirit that works in us to make us more like Christ as we focus on our Saviour and our salvation.
Have you preached to yourself this recently? Or is your salvation of little value to you that you do not think about it as much as you should. Because your perspective would change hugely if you would remember. Remember your salvation. Remember how great it is. Remember that this suffering you are going through now is not the final word in your life. Eternal joy is what awaits you. Think on this. Meditate on this. You need this hope to survive suffering.
You are privileged to have someone who preached to you.
You are privileged to have the Holy Spirit open your eyes.
And you are privileged to have the Holy Spirit empower your witness for Christ, and to dwell in you to help you.
John 16:7: But I (Jesus) tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (The Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
What a privilege for these persecuted Christians. What a privilege for Christians today.
That was the second point:
We are privileged because we have a great salvation.
1. Peter shows them that their salvation is great through the prophets searching. Searching for that which is now revealed to us now.
2. He shows them that their salvation is great through gospel preaching. Preaching that saved us through the work of The Holy Spirit who now dwells in us.
Finally,
3. Peter shows salvation as great through the angels longing (or desiring) V12c (end of verse 12)
…—things into which angels long to look.
There’s that word again “things”. Gospel things. Into which angels long to look.
“Long” to look. This is a desiring. An intense wanting to know.
Angels with their superior intelligence to us, their place in serving the Lord directly, their ability to help us when needed… they long to look at the things revealed to us.
What does this mean?
Haven’t angels been a part of the gospel story throughout Biblical history? What could we have that they want to understand?
Think of angels through the Bible: Coming to Mary, coming to Joseph, coming to the shepherds, coming to Jesus after he was tempted by Satan. Saying at the empty tomb “He is risen”, being there after Jesus ascended into heaven saying “why do you stand looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven” and many other times throughout the Bible.
Angels have been a part of almost every major event of redemption. So what is it that they are longing for then?
This is the point:
Angels are not personally benefited from the Gospel as we are. There is no Gospel for angels. Hebrews 2:16 says “For assuredly He (Jesus) does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.”
Listen to how John MacArthur explains it:
“Oh, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an angel? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see what angels see in that dimension that we can’t perceive, that spiritual dimension that is not visible to us? Have you ever wondered what it’s like for angels to battle demons in that sphere that’s a mystery to us? That invisible world that’s just as real as ours, only not able to be seen with the physical eye? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of that angelic world and to experience that eternal holiness that holy angels have?
I’ve got news for you. The angels are saying the same thing. “I wonder what it’s like to be saved. I wonder what it’s like to receive grace. I wonder what it’s like to be forgiven,”
I think the holy angels want to look into it for the reason that they might understand it better, for the reason that they might glorify God more, because that’s what they exist to do. It’s not just sheer curiosity. It is to enable them to give God greater glory.
God is putting His grace in the church on display before the angels. They’re watching His ministries. They’re watching His church. They’re taking it all in.”
And why does this knowledge help us as we battle through the struggles we have here on earth? Why is this something that Peter mentions to these Christians in Asia minor to help them as they see the intense persecution. As they lose loved ones to prisons and death?
He wants them to understand how great their salvation is by telling them that angels would love to experience the Gospel the way we do.
If it wasn’t for the Gospel, we would be damned to hell just like the fallen angels, the demons for whom there is no hope.
____
So… Do you see how such things are calculated to help believers then and believers now to face opposition? To give them strength not to conform or give up or compromise. Yes, they were suffering. 1 Peter 1:6 says “even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials”. The trials are there for them. And they are there for us.
But the Lord wants us to remember, reflect on the salvation that is yours. The grace and mercy that gives you a living hope, based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He is protecting you and your inheritance. He is giving you a little taste of that salvation to come with joy for those that remember these things. A salvation that the prophets were searching to understand more of as they prophesied about the Christ to come.
Now those gospel truths are the core of gospel preaching, through the Spirit, things into angels desire to experience themselves.
You are more privileged than the prophets.
You are more privileged than the old testament saints.
You are more privileged than the angels.
What are you doing giving into sin and shame because the outside world look at you and laugh at your faith? Do you have a job where your boss hates Christians? Maybe you were saved later in life, and are now married to someone who hates Christians. Maybe you have a family that insult you and make your life difficult because you are a Christian. Colleagues, staff members, classmates…
Brothers and sisters, it won’t be long until the suffering for Christians is over. And all that God has promised in His Word, through the prophets, through the apostles, in the Gospel will be yours in full possession.
Dear Sandefjord Evangeliske Menighet, it is all a matter of perspective. Is this what you feed your soul during difficult times? Is the Gospel your daily diet of food that you eat multiple times a day?
If not, don’t expect to make any progress in verse 13 which says “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit”…
Everything in verse 13 onwards depends on verses 3 to 12. Everything depends on the points of verses. And if we do not memorise, and meditate on these truths on why our salvation is so great, you will not be able to sustain the instructions he gives in the rest of this chapter.
Loving for the gospel, understanding of the gospel, reflecting on the gospel is the foundation for all obedience.
Just as it was for Christ to suffer first, then comes the glory. So it will be for us.
Al Martin says it like this “The gospel that births the church and births the Christian, is the same gospel that nurtures the church and nurtures the Christian”. We never grow from the gospel. We grow in our appreciation of the gospel. We grow in our understanding of the gospel.
But if the gospel is distorted, or twisted, in any of the essential areas, it is a stumbling block to Non-Christians, and becomes a block to the growth of the Christian.
The Gospel is our life blood. The Gospel is our air. The Gospel is our water. The Gospel is our food. The Gospel is our sleep. The Gospel is our life.
We are Sandefjord Evangelical Church. Evangelical means “according to the teaching of the gospel or the Christian faith”. We are Sandefjord Gospel-loving Church. We must fix in our minds and our hearts on how great our salvation is, because we are saved by the Good news. That is the gospel of the grace of God.
I said earlier that I would spend the conclusion going through some of the prophecies concerning the Messiah from the Old Testament. Prophecies that were not clear to them then, but are extremely clear to us now. This is a quick overview from Nathan Buesnitz on some of the passages.
One of the evidence for the Bible being true is it’s many fulfilled prophecies.
As you listen to them, understand how privileged you are to understand these when the prophets did not fully.
Genesis 3, Adam and Eve knew a deliver would come and crush the head of the snake.
Genesis 12: Abraham learned that it was going to be through his offspring that the world would be blessed. Showing that Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham.
Genesis 49: Judah learned that the Kingly line of Israel would be through him and his descendants. Including the Messiah being from the tribe of Judah.
Deuteronomy 18: the Messiah would be a prophet like Moses
1 Samuel 2: the Messiah would be a faithful high priest
2 Samuel 7: the Messiah would be a never ending king ruling in the line of David
Prophet, Priest, King
Isaiah 7: he would be born of virgin
Micah 5: he would be born in Bethlehem.
Isaiah 11: he would have a ministry that extends to the gentiles (those who are not ethnic Jews).
Isaiah 35: he would have a ministry that includes healing miracles.
Zachariah 9: the Messiah will ride into Jerusalem on a donkey
What about his sufferings?
Of course, Isaiah 53: predicts the Messiah’s suffering, rejection, and sacrificial death.
Zachariah 11: he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.
Zachariah 12: he would be pierced by the nation that rejected Him.
Psalm 22: David foreshadows that the Messiah will be forsaken and scorned as he died, and he would be thirsty, and his enemies would cast lots for his clothing.
What about his subsequent glories?
He would not stay in the grave. His resurrection is predicted in Psalm 16, Psalm 110, Isaiah 25, Isaiah 53 and other passages.
Let’s read some of Isaiah 53. 700 years before the Messiah comes.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
…He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors
I know you are familiar with these Words.
And yet, we can only fully appreciate the fulfilment of these prophecies on this side of the Cross. So we need to understand how much the prophets did not know.
What we take for granted, that which is revealed in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the prophets longed to know.
Can you picture Isaiah reading his own writings, wondering how all these things were going to work together. 700 years before Jesus Christ was born. The prophets had questions about the Messiah, and we now have answers.
And so reflect on your great salvation, Christian.
And in this way, you too will have a foundation ready to receive instructions from the Lord. And ready to handle the sufferings that will come to you.
Let us pray:
Father, help us. Help us to love the salvation you have given us. If there are people here who are not saved, open their eyes. Let them come to you in repentance and faith. In Christ’s name. Amen
