1 Pet 1:20,21
INTRO: Although there are many great lessons to be learned from the bible, there is one that may easily be overlooked as we fasten onto specific texts or truths. And, really, this lesson does not depend on one text ... rather, it is drawn from an overview from Genesis to Revelation. And the lesson is simply this: See How Well God Planned! As Peter writes of great redemption themes, He injects this grand truth. There is nothing sloppy or accidental with God. He has planned well. And that planning is best seen in Jesus. Now, note:
I. JESUS WAS FOREORDAINED BEFORETHE FOUNDATION ... (1:20a)
A. God made provision for all physical needs, man was created
1. after provision for physical needs, man was created
2. before sin entered the world , Gods plan to deal with it was established
3. God planned for our physical and spiritual needs
B. Premillennialists say God never intended the crucifixion
1. they say Gods plan was earthly kingdom Jesus as King
2. but the Jews rejected and killed Jesus ... and God had to hurriedly substitute the church
3. and Jesus will finally come back for 1000 year reign
C. But that theory denies plain Bible fact!
1. note Eph 1:3-8 and Rev 13:8 Jesus death, redemption through Hisblood, the church are matters planned, settled before the foundation of the world (see also Acts 2:23)
2. Jno 6:15 the Jews would gladly have made Him a king
3. so, everything which has been done is part of carefully laid and executed plans
II. JESUS WAS MANIFEST ... FOR YOU (1:20b)
A. The invisible made visible
1. could there be a greater boon than to see Deity?
2. I suppose we would say our salvation is certainly a thing of greater value
3. but to people who had so many questions - and few answers ... Jesus seen was such a blessing
B. Peter confirms what John said Jno 1:1,2,14
1. in Jesus we see God dwelling among men
2. Jno 14:9 in Jesus we are able to visualize what God is like and His having dwelt among men suits Him to His work as our Advocate with the Father (Heb 4:14,15)
3. For you the plan of God is highly personal ... the Lamb of God died for me
III. JESUS IS OUR MEANS OF BELIEVING IN GOD (1:21a)
A. By the resurrection
1. of course, resurrection proves Jesus claims - Rom 1:4
2. but Peter says it also proves that God is and gives us a historical, witnessed event which says, God is!
3. in other words, if God didnt raise Jesus from the dead, who did? (Col 2:12)
B. By the glory of Christ
1. I have a bit of difficulty with the word glory
2. its a hard word to explain, to conceive
3. but let me suggest something ... Eph 3:20,21 - Glory in the church by Christ (explain)
IV. JESUS IS THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH AND HOPE (1:21b)
A. Sadly, people place their trust and hope in frail places
1. people then and now tend to trust tangibles - wealth
2. and experience keeps proving that those things will fail us when we need support most Prov 11:28a
3. we need something, someone who is there - and who can really offer hope and help
B. And through Jesus, God is that Someone
1. Ps 146:3-5 what a great contrast is here
2. Ps 57:1 here is the happy circumstance of one who has confidently placed his trust in God
3. Jesus is a surity of Gods concern for us
CLOSE: God did plan well, didnt He! There is just no weakness in what He offers us in and through Jesus.
Cecil A. Hutson
01 April 2001
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)