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1 PETER- JESUS, WHOM YOU HAVE NOT SEEN

March 14, 2004 PM

Sermon Outline

1 PET 1:6-9

INTRO: One of the interesting statements in 1 Peter is this: ...Jesus Christ, Whom having not seen, ye love... I wonder if Peter, when he wrote those words, remembered the words of Jesus at Jno 20:29 - Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Those whom Peter wrote had not advantage over you and me. They had not seen Jesus, and neither have we. They loved the Savior Whom they had never seen, and so do we. And in this book of 1 Peter there is an amazing emphasis on Jesus. Perhaps the emphasis is there for people just like us ... people who have never seen Jesus with physical eyes, but who need to have the reinforcement of faith from one who had seen and known Him personally.

WHAT PETER TELLS US ABOUT JESUS ...

A. He tells us of Jesus resurrection - 1:3

1. Peter is well qualified to confirm that Jesus is risen - He is eyewitness

2. our hope, he says, rests in the historical fact of Jesus resurrection

3. 1 Cor 15:20-22 - His resurrection is our guarantee

B. He tells us the prophets of old spoke of Jesus - 1:10,11

1. they spoke of many details of His birth, life, death and purpose

2. but they had very imperfect knowledge of what it all meant

3. still, from our historical perspective, the fact that in Jesus all of those prophecies were fulfilled builds our confidence, our faith - Lk 24:44

C. He tells us we were redeemed by the blood of Jesus - 1:19

1. remember, what must be redeemed is under some cloud of bondage

2. 1 Pet 1:18 and Heb 9:12 - such things as mankind might consider precious were totally without value to redeem us from the curse of sin

3. 2 Cor 5:21 - the perfect sin offering ... the sinless Son of God

D. He tells us Jesus sacrifice was planned before time began - 1:20

1. this tells me how beautifully God planned for mans greatest need

2. sin was bound to come into mans life ... a being of free will would make the wrong choice at some point

3. so, Eph 3:11 - there was nothing accidental about Jesus death, etc.

E. He tells us that Jesus, precious to God, was rejected by men - 2:4-7

1. Acts 4:11

2. surely we realize that Gods heart must have broken because of mans rejection of His precious Son ... and His invaluable initiative

3. and Jesus is still either precious or a rock of offence

F. He tells us that Jesus left us an example - 2:21-23

1. the gentleness, innocence, guilelessness of Jesus are examples

2. but I wonder if the great example is found in the last part of v. 23 - ...but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously

3. no matter what our circumstances may be, no matter how difficult or unpleasant they may be, we need to learn this lesson from Jesus ... trust

G. He tells us that Jesus death was the just for the unjust - 3:18

1. of the many expressions in scripture which describe the reason for Jesus death, its significance, I have come to appreciate this one most of all

2. Rom 3:23 - unjust ... that is the description of sinful, needy humanity

3. notice the words that he might bring us to God - Heb 5:8,9

H. He tells us we should arm ourselves with Jesus mind - 4:1,2

1. may I suggest Col 3:16 gives us the key to this

2. this is much more than attitude or disposition ... this is much more objective in nature ... what He thought; what He taught; what He exemplified

3. the only way we can keep ourselves from sin and living to the will of God is to have the benefit of the mind of Christ directing, controlling

I. He tells us we may be reproached for the name of Christ - 4:14

1. I continue to believe that people of deep conviction will pay a price

2. perhaps it will not be like the one experienced by early Christians - or even by Christians in some nations today

3. but conviction will come into conflict with convention! and we must be ready to abide by our conviction in the face of any unpleasantness

CLOSE: Now, there are many, many practical admonitions to be found in 1 Peter. But all of them rest on what Peter tells us about Jesus. The various relationships Peter mentions hinge on what we know and understand about Jesus. May I close with this passage: 1 Pet 3:21,22.

Cecil A. Hutson

14 March 2004

God's Plan of Salvation

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 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 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 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)

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!

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)